Fallen from Grace
by aervien
Summary: DISCONTINUED. AU, SasuHina. He'd lost her so many times before. It wasn't going to happen again. Not if he had to move Heaven and Hell to prevent it.
1. Prologue

**(Disclaimer)** I do not own Naruto. Characters and setting copyrighted to Masashi Kishimoto. All rights reserved, etc, etc. The plot and any character unrecognizable from the manga or anime are mine as well. Please do not use anything that falls underneath those categories without my permission. I am writing this for the sole purpose of entertainment and am not making any money off of it.

**(A/N)** My second multi-chapter SasuHina fanfic! (_n.n_) The summary is from X/1999. When I thought this fic up, I just had to use that line... Beware, character-OOCness and angst and violence and smut scenes later on and more violence and blood. Lots of it. Hope you like red wine. I'll be serving it fresh.

* * *

_Their destiny was foreordained..._

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**Fallen from Grace  
**_Taiyoukai Lady_

-

_**Prologue**_

* * *

_Devil born, he shall be  
__Feared by all, hated by many  
__Darkness will cling to his every word  
__Death will obey no other sword_

_Angelic and cheerful, symbolizes her  
__Fallen from grace, yet still graceful and pure  
__Shadows swirl yet cannot taint  
__This light that shines, never dim, never faint_

_She will be the light  
__That guides his wandering soul  
__He will be the dark  
__That protects her heart's shine_

_For him, she shall die  
__For her, he shall kill  
__Until there is nothing left  
__To slay_

_Until they find within each other  
__The piece that so complements their own  
__The world shall find that happiness  
__Is a wistful myth of the past_

* * *

"NOOOOOOOOO!"

The scream was ripped from his throat and he could feel the hot tears streaming down his cheeks. He barely felt the pain in his leg anymore or the arms of the people around him, the yells for him to calm down. He would not calm down. She was in there. She was in there!

"Someone sedate him!"

"Hold him down!"

Suddenly, he felt a sharp sting on his neck and he immediately felt sluggish. "No... she..." He slumped into the arms of the people holding him back. There was a collective sigh of relief.

"No..." he whispered.

Something held him and whispered into his ear, "I'm sorry... but she's dead... she's dead. You can't help her anymore."

His body shook and the entire crowd was silently sobbing along with the young man as he wailed out his sorrow.

-

"No... that... that can't be true!" His expression was distraught as he stared at the doctor. The doctor wanted to bite down the words he needed to say and assure the man his wife was fine, but that would be lying.

"I'm sorry, but she had a severe concussion. Couple that with a pierced lung and..."

The rest of the people just watched sadly as the man cried.

-

He couldn't cry as the casket was lowered into the hole in the ground. He was already out of tears. For some reason, this scene was familiar to him, as were these feelings, and he bitterly regretted anything wrong he'd ever done.

_He'd lost her again._

-

Again...

Again...

Again...

-

Flash... a bullet through her head...

Flash... a sword through her neck...

Flash... her beating heart ripped out...

Flash... her screams as she burned...

Flash...

Flash...

Flash...

He didn't know how much longer he could take it.

-

It seemed too familiar, this scene. How many nightmares had he awoken from with her name at the tip of his tongue, blood all over his hands? Her blood. This time, her head had been severed, and her eyes were glazed with death.

He wanted to just die right there and then. Stop this pain. Stop this sorrow. Stop it...

When he passed by, it was simply by chance, his master later explained. He'd felt the wildly flaring chakra and decided that, as he was going there anyways, to check it out. The offer to change him had been completely impulsive. The agreement had been expected.

You can wait for her to be reborn again and keep your memories, he said. You can see her again without having to start over.

It had been a once in a lifetime – no. A once in a thousand lifetimes' chance.

He accepted.

In the following weeks, the papers blared the shocking news of one death after another of the world's most powerful politicians. War erupted and the rivers were dyed red.

Among them walked once again legends of the past, demons of myth. The famed _New York Times_ ran an article titled 'Return of the Darkness'.

It was the last article the newspaper ever ran.


	2. Chapter 1

**(Disclaimer)** I do not own Naruto. Characters and setting copyrighted to Masashi Kishimoto. All rights reserved, etc, etc. The plot and any character unrecognizable from the manga or anime are mine as well. Please do not use anything that falls underneath those categories without my permission. I am writing this for the sole purpose of entertainment and am not making any money off of it.

**(A/N)** First chapter! (_n.n_) Hope you like it! For those of you who read part of this on SunnyDay Love, I changed it from 'Karasu' to 'Kuroi Kurohyou'. I think the latter fits better. XP Also, I have no idea how long this story will be, unlike _In The End_. So, don't ask, as I won't reply.

Thanks to **Ladii-Chocolate** for beta-reading. (n.n)

* * *

_He will be what everyone fears. She will be what everyone scorns. He will be the devil. She will be the fallen angel. She will be the light to his shadow and he will be the shadow that protected the light. For him, she will die. For her, he will bath the world in blood. Until they can find peace within each other, this cycle shall be repeated... time after time after time, until they find within each other the soul to complete their own. Until then, the world will soon forget the meaning of happiness._

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**Fallen from Grace  
**_Taiyoukai Lady_

-

_**Chapter 1**_

* * *

_With politicians dying left and right, the world was in shambles. Nightmares became truth and myths weren't so mythical. Among the shadows, one darkness grew._

_Kuroi Kurohyou._

_Black Panther._

_He was feared throughout the world, yet none knew his true name. It was rumored he traveled with a entourage that consisted of a blond, a pink-haired girl, and a white-eyed boy. The only ones thought to be more powerful than him were his brother, who had gone missing ages past, and his master, who had also disappeared at the start of what people called the 'Great Ruin'. Yet even they were not as feared as he. People whispered his heart was as black as his namesake and he showed no mercy. The streets on which he walked would be coated in the blood of those he thought unworthy and those who opposed him._

_Yet soon, after years with no sightings of a man of his image, the people began to relax and the frightened but prosperous peace that his legacy had created was broken. Wars threatened to once again split the world apart and the legend of the Kuroi Kurohyou was dismissed as mere myth._

_Through it all, one clan passed down the prophecy they had been passing down for centuries. But soon, such a clan was slaughtered and it was believed that none lived._

_But then, he returned and once again, the rich, red wine was spilled in gallons._

-

"A-are you ok-kay, Temari-chan?" a dark-haired girl anxiously asked the blonde who had defended her. The other older girl smiled, hiding a flinch at the sharp sting of her new black eye.

"I'm fine, Hinata-sama. It'll take more than a few bloody idiots like them to hurt me," she smirked at the girl she was supposed to be guarding. Hinata smiled hesitantly after a little while.

"Heh, same here," another girl walked over. There was dirt on her cheek and bruises on her arm, but she wore a large grin and she was twirling a _kunai_ knife around her finger. "Are you alright, Hinata-sama? You're not hurt?"

Hinata smiled. "Nope!"

-

"Hinata! Hinata!"

The girl spun and was nearly barreled down by an enthusiastic Ten Ten. The tomboy's bright eyes sparkled with glee. Proudly, she held out something in her arms.

"Look!"

Hinata's eyes widened, "T-ten Ten! How did you ever g-get such a thing? W-what is it?" The 'thing' mewled and blinked at her, black eyes blending in so well with its black fur, she had trouble separating the two.

Ten Ten smiled. "It's a panther, Hinata! I saw it by the river this morning and when I came back tonight, it was still there! It didn't run away from me, so I brought it back here. Once it's grown, it'll protect you when me and Temari aren't here."

Hinata's sharp gaze softened, "Th-thank you, Ten Ten, b-but..."

"No buts!" Ten Ten insisted. "Ever since I found that job, you've been staying home alone for the entire day! I know you know how to use that chakra-hole fighting thingy, but I'll feel so much better if something could protect you when we're gone."

Hinata sighed. "A-alright..." She sighed as Ten Ten hugged her with joy and then ran off to create some sort of bed the panther could use. Hinata huffed in annoyance at Ten Ten's thought that she couldn't take care of herself. But as she knew her friend was only concerned for her, she left the matter out of her mind and decided to wait until Temari was home to discuss it further.

As it was, Hinata needn't have bothered. Temari was adamant as Ten Ten when she heard, and Hinata could only buckle under both of their pleading gazes. They named the panther, Katana ("May she protect our Hinata as well as our katana blades") and that was that. Hinata was helpless against it.

-

Life was hard for the three independent girls. After the slaughter of Hinata's clan, of which Ten Ten and Temari had been serving, they had been forced to run and hide, pretending to be ordinary people. Temari and Ten Ten both found jobs, but they refused to let Hinata try to get one. Clan or no clan, they still considered themselves her bodyguards, and as her bodyguards, they forbade her to even try. Hinata was slightly relieved at their decision, but then immediately felt guilty.

But with the arrival of the black panther, Hinata couldn't help but smile. The dark eyes reminded her of her dreams of which all she could see were two obsidian orbs, blending with the darkness. Neither Temari nor Ten Ten knew of this, and Hinata didn't plan on telling them.

It was her little secret.

-

It continued in the same old routine that over and over again. There was no major excitement, though they'd occasionally hear of a rumor regarding one of the Shadowfolk. But even when the news of a slaughter of an entire town by the Shadows reached their village, none of them pondered over it for any length of time. That was there, and they were here.

Hinata hated to think the other lives didn't matter, but it was hard enough getting by without such complications. Temari worked at the nearby area's police station and Ten Ten was busy as an additional instructor for a dojo in town. Neither occupations brought in enough income by themselves to support all three, four counting Katana. As it was, they attempted to save as much as they could.

But despite the living conditions, Hinata was happy.

-

"T-temari?"

The blonde looked up from where she was examining the large fan she called her weapon. "Yeah?"

"H-have you s-seen Katana?" Hinata asked, poking her head into her friend's room.

Temari paused in her examination. "No, why?" She motioned for Hinata to sit down next to her on a spare chair. Walking in, Hinata took the offered chair, carefully placing the haphazardly stacked pile of books on the floor.

Turning to Temari, she confessed, "I h-haven't been able to f-find her for a f-few hours now. Sh-she usually comes b-back after an hour o-or so, and I'm r-really worried."

At the confession, Temari stopped looking over her fan and frowned as she thought. Ten Ten, who was currently at work, had found Katana about two years ago. Since then, the panther had grown to be quite big. Lately though, she'd been exhibiting some rather strange behavior. Snarling at one of the three girls or stalking off, leaving them bewildered and confused. But this was the first time the panther had been missing for more than an hour. "Have you checked the gates?"

Hinata nodded. "Y-yes, they were a-all lo-locked. I'm assuming sh-she jumped."

Temari nodded at the logic. Katana was a smart panther and powerful to boot. If she wanted to jump, she would have. "Let's wait a little longer, Hinata. If Katana hasn't returned by the time Ten Ten comes back, we'll go look for her, okay?" The other girl nodded her agreement and then left, forcing the topic out of her mind.

As it was, they needn't have worried. Katana returned just a few moments after their conversation, looking extremely pleased with the dead rabbit in her jaws. Apparently, she'd been chasing it. Dropping the rabbit at Hinata's feet, the panther jumped into the large tree and proceeded to nap until Hinata put her food out.

Hinata couldn't shake the feeling that something was different about the feline.

-

Soon, however, such thoughts were banished from her mind. Sighing as she berated herself for choosing today of all days to go grocery shopping, Hinata ducked into the store just as the rain began to fall. She glowered at the large droplets that pattered against the dirt paths with annoyance. Hinata had no doubt that Fate hated her.

Thankfully, the rain proved to be another of those quick summer thunderstorms, gone as soon as it had come. By the time Hinata had gone through the short shopping list, the air was no longer being tumbled about by the attack of the rain pellets, instead mixing with the moisture to create a humid atmosphere that had the villagers groaning with disappointment.

Hinata struggled to juggle the large bags in her arms as she walked home from the store. She nodded politely to the passing villagers but never stopped for conversation beyond the simple pleasantries. Ten Ten and Temari had the annoying habit of worrying too much about her, and she had no desire to be scolded for taking too long and worrying them too much.

"Need help, girl?"

Hinata paused and looked to the side. There, at the mouth of an alleyway stood a large man who looked to be slightly drunk. Behind him, there was a group of five or six more men. Hinata forced herself to smile, "N-no, thank y-you. I'm f-fine." She began to walk again.

This time, she was stopped by the man who stepped in front of her, blocking her path. The others moved as well, forming a circle around her. "P-please," she said, "I need to g-go home."

The first man chuckled. Hinata wrinkled her nose as the odor of his breath hit her, smelling of alcohol and perfume. She dubbed him Drunk Guy With No Brain and proceeded to try and walk around him. Apparently, he didn't want to be cooperative, blocking her way with a thick arm.

"Hey, hey, no need to be shy-"

"Get away from her, you freaks!"

Hinata sighed in relief as Temari and Ten Ten ran up, panting slightly. The man ignored her, scowling at the other two girls. "What did you just call me?"

Temari sneered at him. "Oh, I see. You're hard of hearing too. I called you a bloody freak, idiot." As the men just gaped at her, Temari rolled her eyes. "You know, I believe I've just found proof that there is no god. After all, if there was a god, he'd never allow you baboons to live. You're wasting air."

As the men stared, Hinata took her chance to run to the other two. Unfortunately, Drunk Guy With No Brain decided then was a good moment to snap out of his little daze and grabbed her arm, snarling. Hinata barely managed to hold on and not spill the bags in her arms. Soon enough, the man cried and Hinata continued forward, stopping after she had joined up with her friends. Smiling at them, she gestured that they should go home. Temari and Ten Ten nodded, both taking one of the two bags.

"Where do you think you're going, bitch?" The snarl from behind caused them to turn in time to see the man wipe the blood away from where the _shuriken_ had sliced open the man's skin. With a roar, the man ran forward, a knife held in his right hand as he charged. Confidence boosted by their leader's rage, the other six men swarmed forward as well.

"Tch. Amateurs," Temari muttered. Though she didn't have her fan with her, she smirked and pulled out a few kunai knifes, waiting for the right moment to strike.

Ten Ten did not have such restraint. The weapons mistress attacked two of the men head on. Using their weight against her, her battle was short-lived as the two crashed into each other, unable to stop the course of their attack when Ten Ten had dodged. Rolling her eyes at the unconscious idiots, she attacked the remaining four fiercely, smirking at their pitiful attempts of offense. This was, of course, without spilling anything out of the bag she still held.

Temari found that she needed to expend a little more energy than she thought she would need to. Bag tucked under one arm, she ducked one of the leader's swings at her face and kicked his stomach, causing him to double over in pain. However, he recovered soon, and Temari had to jump to dodge the arm that shot out to catch her ankle. In midair, she flipped, one hand keeping the objects inside the bag from dumping out as her foot caught the man's head just as he started to rise. The force of the flip and gravity knocked him out cold and Temari landed lightly on the ground, checking the bag's contents.

Hinata smiled, "A-are you okay, Ten Ten? Temari?"

"Never better," Temari smirked.

"These guys are worse than the amateurs I have to teach at the dojo," Ten Ten scoffed.

The two girls grinned at her as the three started to leave.

-

The tree on which he perched was sturdy, the branch still despite the combined weight of both the large cat and the boy that was not a boy. The wind rustled the leaves, but his gently swaying locks merely became shadows that mimicked the leaves of the tree. The great feline's swishing tail could be mistaken as a swinging vine, or perhaps a length of rope, abandoned long ago by the village children.

The feline growled slightly as the scene unfolded before them, tense muscles relaxing only when the other two girls came to the first girl's aid. The shadow gave an amused half-smile at the friendly banter and concern exhibited. How would he have turned out if such had been his life?

The feline whimpered slightly, nudging him. The shadow only leaned back, whispering, "She's fine. But for now, you have a job to do." The feline purred its understanding. Swiftly and silently, it left the branch, leaving nothing to indicate it was ever there.

Alone now, the black eyes of the shadow glittered with some unreadable emotions as they followed the girl.

'_That's her?_' someone 'pathed to him. He felt a presence behind him and he nodded. The two watched for a few moments longer, but soon, they were gone as well, leaving the tree as the only one to know of their visit.

-

"Where is he?"

"Who?"

"Who else?"

"Oh. He's gone to go check if it really is her."

"So he's found her?"

"Yup."

"Oh, thank god. He's been growing grumpier and grumpier. That last massacre really was not needed."

"Yeah, but who's going to oppose him? Sensei probably could, but he's the only one who knows where Sensei is. For now, all we can do is hope it's really her."

"Good point. So for now, all we can do is hope?"

"Yup. Wait and hope."

"Fun..."

"Well, we can always make it more exciting – ow!"


	3. Chapter 2

**(Disclaimer)** I do not own Naruto. Characters and setting copyrighted to Masashi Kishimoto. All rights reserved, etc, etc. The plot and any character unrecognizable from the manga or anime are mine as well. Please do not use anything that falls underneath those categories without my permission. I am writing this for the sole purpose of entertainment and am not making any money off of it.

**(A/N)** Kyuuuu... meh, lately, these chapters seem all... cut up. (_sigh_) Ah well. It'll change soon. Anyways, second chapter! (_n.n_) Hope you like it! As a note, I'm using the Japanese way of saying names in this fic, meaning last names first.

* * *

"_Oh, thank god. He's been growing grumpier and grumpier. That last massacre really was not needed."_

"_Yeah, but who's going to oppose him? Sensei probably could, but he's the only one who knows where Sensei is. For now, all we can do is hope it's really her."_

"_Good point. So for now, all we can do is hope?"_

"_Yup. Wait and hope."_

"_Fun..."_

"_Well, we can always make it more exciting – ow!"_

---------------------------------------------------------

**Fallen from Grace  
**_Taiyoukai Lady_

-

_**Chapter 2

* * *

**_

_She was slipping away, the darkness obscuring her vision and obstructing her thoughts. She thought she could feel water droplets dropping onto her cheeks and she opened her eyes. The image before her was blurry and hazy, as if a veil had been dropped on her face. He was there and for some reason, he was crying. (Was that blood he was shedding?)_

_Her brow furrowed slightly in confusion and she wanted to open her mouth to say she was fine and that he shouldn't cry over her, but her throat clogged up. (Why couldn't she speak?)_

_For some reason, she desperately wanted to see his face (why couldn't she remember?), but all color had been drained from her sight and even if it hadn't, she still could not see anything but a pair of black, black eyes..._

-

Hinata awoke with a gasp, sitting upright with a sudden jerk. Clutching her thin covers to her chest, she could feel her chest rise and fall with each shuddering breath she took. Suddenly, something draped itself across her legs and she froze until she realized it was only Katana. The panther blinked at her before yawning and settling down to sleep, head resting on her paws. Hinata smiled in relief, leaning back into her futon.

Grimacing as the early morning sun shone through her window, Hinata raised an arm to hide her white eyes, sighing as she mourned yet another night of lost sleep. Such dreams, beginning after the slaughter of her clan, were becoming more and more frequent, as if telling her something yet to be. Thinking of the darkness that had filled her mind and the blood that 'he' had been crying, Hinata squeezed her eyes shut in despair. But the images only followed her and she flinched.

What did they mean? She searched desperately for the answer, knowing, by some unknown power, that the answer lay deep within her own mind, forgotten, yet still playing an integral part in her life. Squeezing her eyes shut, she bit her lip as she went through everything she knew, turning it over and over in her head. Pausing slightly, she backtracked and went over a particular scene in her childhood.

"_Mister, thank you for saving me!"_

Suddenly, she jerked upright and despite the humid temperature, Hinata shivered with apprehension.

-

"Now, where'd that bastard go!"

"Oh, relax, he'll be back soon enough. No use fretting."

"I know, I know, but still! He – argh! Where is he?"

"I wouldn't try to go to him now. He's gone off to watch _her_ again."

"Again?"

"Yup."

"Damn... Hey, does this mean...?"

"I dunno, but I'd be willing to bet money on it."

"How much money?"

"Oh... a couple trillion."

"Sweet. It took long enough."

-

She growled softly as she hunted. Her powerful paws barely grazed the ground in her speed, her nose leading the way. Mentally, she understood the orders given to her by the shadow and she obeyed them without hesitation. Still running, she snapped her jaws quickly before skidding to a halt, a dead rabbit in her maw.

"I-i-i-it's a... a p-p-p-panth-ther..."

She turned her head and blinked slowly as she took in the sight of a grown man with a bow and arrow in his hands. His eyes were wide and horrified as he stumbled back a few steps. She growled at him before deciding he was unworthy of her attention. Snarling at the man one last time, she leaped away, black hide soon covered in shadows.

-

A week had passed since the last incident with the men. Hinata frowned as the people on the roads skittered away from her, eyes wide with fright. Many people who had once been friendly to her now drew away with frightened expressions twisting their features. Some who had already been hostile glared at her even more fiercely before and those who had just ignored her shot her wary looks and urged their children indoors.

Hinata herself was completely baffled by their attitude. She knew it wasn't that Ten Ten and Temari had defeated those men; after the event several people had grinned and congratulated the two female warriors. So what?

Reaching the store, she walked in and blinked when the only other person immediately walked out. The store manager, an old friend of hers, watched her for a moment before turning away.

Unable to stay silent, Hinata called out, "W-wait! Hanima-san!"

The woman paused and turned back, a troubled expression on her face. "Yes, Hinata-san?"

Hinata blinked, confused at the somber tone, "Hanima-san, is s-something wrong?"

Hanima Kisha sighed, "Hinata-san, I first ask you to understand what I am about to tell you." Hinata had a sinking feeling as she nodded slowly. Kisha continued, "Hinata-san, is it true that you have been raising a black panther?"

Hinata's eyes widened. How did she know? She, Ten Ten, and Temari had been so careful... Kisha took one look at Hinata's stunned eyes and sighed.

"I see that it is true," Kisha said sadly. "I had hoped it was not."

"H-hanima-san, wh-why...?"

"Hinata-san, there have been rumors going around in the past few days that you have such a creature living with you. Rasi-san swore he saw a black panther hunting the woods near your home. He claimed to have seen a dead _thing_ hanging from its mouth and then it ran off in the direction your house was in," Kisha said, voice soft. She sighed, and continued, "You know the news from the other town, Hinata-san. The village was completely massacred. There are several tales going around that it was... him. Hinata-san, they're saying the Kuroi Kurohyou has come back as that panther you now nurture."

Hinata paled. "Wh-what...? N-no! K-katana would n-never do such a th-thing!" She stared at the woman in horror. "Katana -"

A loud rallying cry out in the streets startled them both and they instinctively looked outward. Several people were gathering in front of the store. Though they wouldn't be able to see them, Hinata knew they knew she was there. Kisha turned white and grabbed Hinata's hand. Pulling, she ran into the storage room the store had and opened the back door of the store.

Pushing Hinata out, Kisha looked at her sadly, "I'm so sorry, Hinata-san. You were a wonderful friend but... I have my own children and life to think of. I dare not do more. They are planning on getting the Town Council to kick you out tomorrow. Run, Hinata-san, or better yet, kill that panther. She will bring nothing but misfortune upon you." And with that, she shut the door, leaving a distraught Hinata outside.

Casting one last despairing glance at the commotion at the front of the store, Hinata fled.

-

Obsidian eyes watched the fleeing girl, carefully checking the area ahead for any possible danger to her. Satisfied that she would reach her home safely, he nodded to the shadow behind him and left. The other shadow rolled his eyes in exasperated understanding and turned to watch the large mob that had gathered. Frowning slightly, the shadow settled down for a long watch.

-

In the shadows, a figure smirked and calmly took another mouthful of the rum in the bottle. Shaking it, the figure set the empty bottle down and leaned against the wall, seemingly a random drunk that was lounging about with a bad hangover. Slitted eyes scanned the area as the figure chuckled to itself, lazy gaze traveling over the people who walked about. They had no idea that with a mere thought their lives could be thrown to the four winds. They had no idea that with a mere thought, their life's work could be destroyed, everything they cared about gone in the blink of an eye, their souls stripped naked before the judges of the underworld.

Before him, a large crowd was gathering in front of a store where the girl had entered just a few minutes before. Loud shouts and rallying cries filled the air and the figure had to smother the laughter that threatened to escape from his throat. Humans were such interesting things.

The figure sighed in content and smirked. What a wonderful way to pass the day.

-

"Ten Ten!" Hinata panted as she ran into the shabby house they called home. "Temari!"

"They aren't here."

Hinata spun, eyes widening. "Wh-what...?" Frantic eyes searched the shadows for whatever it was that had said that her friends were not there. Spinning her head this way and that, she found nothing but darkness. Panicking now, the 17-year-old forced herself to calm down. Taking deep breaths, she fell into a sort of meditation she often used before practicing her _taijutsu_.

A low chuckle reached her ears at her visible effort to stay calm. Hinata swallowed, lips parted slightly, heart thumping in her chest wildly. She felt an alien yet familiar chakra behind her and resisted the temptation to turn around and look. Something told her that if she did, the life she knew would be completely shattered.

"Turn around, Hinata," the voice coaxed, amused. Hinata could hear the amused half-smile half-smirk.

"W-who are y-you?" With her fear came back the stuttering in her voice. She _felt_ the figure frown, how, she did not know, as she was using all of her willpower to _not_ turn around and look.

"You still have that damn stutter? I thought I'd forced it out of you. Ah, well, I suppose it's only to be expected," the amused lilt was back in his voice now. "As for your friends, they already left." She felt him lean down, his light breath tickling her ear. "I'll take you there."

Hinata gulped at the strange sensations that fluttered across her stomach, forced herself to ignore the strange warmth that was quickly spreading through her body, turned away from the relaxation and comfort his voice and presence alone offered. "H-how do I kn-know you're te-telling me the tr-truth?"

"Because, my dear Hinata, you _know_ me," he whispered back, lips nearly touching her earlobe.

The sentence was completely unfounded, but Hinata found herself nodding slowly anyways. She could picture the smile on his lips and felt his arms encircle her waist. She looked down at his hands, studying the graceful fingers that were twisting themselves into some kind of formation. Suddenly, the world was covered in darkness and her home was gone and the only thing left was the feel of his arms around her waist.

The scariest thing about his last sentence, Hinata thought, strangely relaxed despite the utter bizarreness of her situation and the fact that any sane person who gave a damn about themselves would've been too scared to even breathe, was that she agreed.

-

"He found her, eh?"

"Yes. Her clan was apparently slaughtered and she was living with two other girls."

"I see. Good. Return to your post. If you keep this up, you just might find yourself a little gift."

"Th-thank you! I shall take my leave, Master."

"... you can come out now, he's gone."

"Yes, Master."

"You know what to do."

"Of course, Master."


	4. Chapter 3

**(Disclaimer)** I do not own Naruto. Characters and setting copyrighted to Masashi Kishimoto. All rights reserved, etc, etc. The plot and any character unrecognizable from the manga or anime are mine as well. Please do not use anything that falls underneath those categories without my permission. I am writing this for the sole purpose of entertainment and am not making any money off of it.

**(A/N)** Third chappie! Yay! XD I'm sorry I'm late, but it wasn't my fault! You see, my muse got kidnapped by a gang called the Chipper Chipmunks and they forced her to write horrible songs about me. I went to rescue her, but the songs made me cry so it took a while. But then when I rescued her, it turned out she'd gotten her muse powers stolen away by the gang's leader Chip. So then I had to go fight Chip... now my arm hurts...

Okay, onto the REAL story. Sorry to keep you waiting. I wrote something I didn't like and erased it, however that seemed to have erased the part of my brain that dealt with fanfiction, so I had to rebuild it. X.x I spent the last few days reading all the fanfiction I could. My brain is now active (hopefully)! XD

**WARNING: There is mature content here (nothing major though) so if you can't take that stuff, please skip the second section. Do not complain to me if you read it when you don't want to.**

**Thanks to Ladii-Chocolate for beta-reading!**

* * *

"_H-how do I kn-know you're te-telling me the tr-truth?"_

"_Because, my dear Hinata, you know me."_

_The scariest thing about his last sentence, Hinata thought, strangely relaxed despite the utter bizarreness of her situation and the fact that any sane person who gave a damn about themselves would've been too scared to even breathe, was that she agreed._

_-_

"_... you can come out now, he's gone."_

"_Yes, Master."_

"_You know what to do."_

"_Of course, Master."_

* * *

**Fallen from Grace  
**_Taiyoukai Lady_

-

_**Chapter 3**_

* * *

She woke up to the calling of her name by some voice she knew and recognized. Cracking her eyes open, she immediately wanted to shut them again against the fierce morning sun. Sighing as she heard the voices continue incessantly, Hinata groaned and just turned over in the bed, burrowing under the covers that smelled of...

Wait. Pause. Rewind. Since when did her covers smell like chocolate of all things?

Oh, well. Hinata just snuggled even further, enjoying the new scent. It was eerily familiar and she sighed in content. In the background, she could hear people talking, albeit the fact that the voices were rather muffled.

"She's still asleep?" Hey, was that the voice of that person who'd brought her here?

"Unfortunately. What did you do to her? She never sleeps this late!" Er... angry sand girl. Baaaad...

A pause. A gesture here, maybe? "I didn't do anything." Footsteps. Someone was coming closer. A hand attempted to force the covers away from where she'd drawn them above her head. Stubbornly, she held on, refusing to let go.

"Well," someone muttered. Her mind didn't recognize his voice. "This is certainly new. Hey, wake up."

Hinata mumbled some reply. The person sighed. Suddenly, Hinata could feel the person's chakra almost right on top of her. Something whispered so no one else could hear, "He wants to see you and your friends."

That got her awake. Somehow, she knew the 'he' the unknown person was talking about was the man who had brought her here the last night. Silently, Hinata debated with herself on whether or not she should actually go and decided against the impulse to wave off the summons. With the high _chakra_ level she had sensed before, it wouldn't help matters if she decided to piss him off. Especially since he could probably completely obliterate her, Temari, and Ten Ten combined.

There seemed to be a satisfied noise above her head before footsteps slowly faded, ending when a door closed. Hinata sat upright and blinked at her surroundings. She herself was situated on a large bed that was as soft as a kitten's fur. The light blanket on top of her was just thick enough for the cool summer mornings, yet not thick enough for her to grow too hot. The room itself was simple yet elegant, an oaken desk sitting at the side, a quill and paper discarded on its top. Hinata got the feeling of a chilly warmth, the type that you were drawn to by its beautiful flames, yet repulsed by its lack of heat.

"Well, well, looks like our sleeping beauty decided to wake up before noon," the sarcastic voice of Temari was more than enough to snap Hinata out of her musings. The blonde stood there, hands on her hips, glaring in exasperation at the still-groggy Hinata.

Ten Ten appeared beside her and whispered into her ear while handing her a pile of cloth, "Ignore her. She's just in a bad mood because her fan got taken away. She was tormenting Naruto – a blond idiot – with it so Neji-san took it away. Sakura-chan said it was just so they didn't end up killing each other. Apparently, Naruto has a Kyuubi trapped inside him and…" She rambled on as she helped Hinata into her cloths. Hinata nodded faintly, lost by the first name mentioned. She took the offered bowl of what looked like porridge and swallowed it, grateful for the warmth that coursed through her limbs.

Temari was still grumbling when a pink-haired girl appeared at their doorway. Then she just switched to glaring. The girl ignored the blonde and looked at Hinata expectantly, "Well, are you ready? He wants to see you."

Hinata nodded mutely, stepping forward. Automatically, Temari and Ten Ten fell in behind her. The girl shook her head, "Sorry, Temari-san, Ten Ten-chan, alone. But you should be able to find Naruto and Neji in the training area." Temari seemed on the verge of snarling at the girl, but Ten Ten clasped her hand over the blonde's mouth, nodded at the girl, and half-dragged half-pushed Temari into the hallway, and off to… somewhere, Hinata didn't know.

The girl waited until the two were gone before grabbing Hinata's hand and pulling her into the opposite direction. Smiling back over her shoulder, the girl introduced herself, "Hello, I'm Sakura. My family name was Haruno, but who cares about family names now? Anyways, he said he wanted to see you so I have to obey. He's the strongest of us all you know, asides from Sensei and Itachi-san. But those two left about fifty years ago, so now it's just him. I'm glad we found you, you know. He was getting so difficult to handle…" Hinata trailed behind the ranting girl, careful to keep a safe distance. She stared at the girl's back, completely baffled by the random words spraying out of the other female's mouth. She nodded meekly when Sakura turned her head, and then continued to hold a lost look on her face. Sakura was pulling her at a quick pace, but they never crashed into any walls. Hinata thought it strange, that such a large place had no servants, for she saw no others in the halls.

"Here we are!" Sakura stopped, Hinata nearly crashing into her. Sakura opened the door and shoved Hinata in, slamming the door shut in the white-eyed girl's face. Hinata stared with an open jaw for a few moments before nervously turning around.

She was standing in what looked to be a large reception room. Once again, she felt an aura of elegant simplicity. Obviously, the man did not waste money in large amounts. Hinata found herself once again favoring the man in her thoughts. Groaning slightly, Hinata shook her head fiercely. No, she couldn't let the man muddle her thoughts. After all –

"Finally awake, I see."

Nearly jumping a foot into the air, her dark hair lashed against her cheek as she whipped around at the sound of the voice, heart pounding, mouth already open to make up some excuse. But the sight of him, took her breath away and her heart beat even louder in her head.

He was handsome, the pale, perfect complexion seeming almost white in contrast to his raven-dark strands that framed his face, the back pointing outwards. He was dressed in complete black and obsidian eyes were emotionless as they traveled over her. But for the fact that Hinata had been staring at those perfect, perfect lips, she would have missed the minute quirk of his mouth. Whether they had twitched to become a frown or a smile she did not know. Bowing slightly hurriedly, she squashed the sudden urge to see him smile.

"Y-yes…"

He frowned. Hinata, who had been peeking from out under her bangs, squeaked and ducked her head again. The man shook his head in exasperation, "Stop that."

"St-stop wh-what, sir?"

His brow furrowed in annoyance, "That, right there. That damn stutter."

"Y-y… yes, sir," she whispered, shifting her weight from one foot to the other nervously.

"And don't call me sir."

"Yes, s... um...I-if – eep!" she squeaked at his glare, swallowing before she continued, Hinata forced herself to calm down and talk without her usual stammer, "If I can't... call you sir, what... do I call... you?"

He was gone. The next second, Hinata felt warm lips massage her own, her creamy pearls widening in shock. She felt her stomach do strange flips, her blood heating up. The kiss only lasted about ten seconds but it was more than enough to send her heart racing.

He smirked, seeing the effect he had on her, "Sasuke. Uchiha Sasuke."

-

"Ow! What are you doing, you bastard?" A thin blonde glared the man standing before her. "I told you to put me down gently! Gen-tel-lee. As in, so it doesn't fucking hurt when you do it!"

The man leered down at her. He was muscular, shoulders broad, a stubble of hair on his chin. His squinty eyes shone with lust as he smirked. The girl before him was quite a catch. Long blond hair in a ponytail that had felt soft as a newborn kitten's fur reflected the light. The rather skimpy clothes she wore didn't hide her physique at all, showing plentiful curves under the bandages. And she was the one that had offered too. Rakor couldn't believe his luck.

"Don't worry, precious," he drawled, "What I'm about to do to you won't hurt a bit. You just lay there, let me take off those wonderful clothes of yours and we'll get down to business."

"You wish. After what you just did, you think I'd let you touch me?" the girl scoffed, flipping her hair over her shoulder.

Rakor's eyes narrowed. "Don't get smart with me, girl. Do you know who I am?"

She sneered, "Pray, do tell."

He smirked again. She'd asked for it... "My name in Rakor Ironfist. Ever heard of it?"

The name had the desired effect. Her eyes grew wide, but instead of the look of fear that usually crossed people's faces, her expression was one of joy and admiration. "Really?" she breathed, tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ears. "You're the one who killed all those people?"

He nodded, grinning, not bothering to hide the lust he felt.

"Wow..." she scooted closer on the bed he'd dumped her in and drew one finger down his chest, slender fingers slipping inside his pants where a bulge was palpable. He smirked, deciding to allow her have her fun before he had his. His breath caught as she grasped him, fighting back a moan of pleasure as deft fingers stroked along his length. She smiled coyly and he reached for her. In a flash, her hand was gone and she was five feet away. Her eyes were uncertain. "You... said... you said it wouldn't hurt too much right...?"

His breathing was coming in shuddering gasps now, as ghosts of her touch aroused him more than ever. He grinned lewdly, opening his mouth, "Of course not..."

She answered, smirking, "But what I'm going to do to you is gonna hurt like hell, _precious_." The last thing Rakor saw was his own blood gushing out of a wound on his chest. He stared as the world went black.

Yamanaka Ino glared distastefully at the corpse at her feet. Messy, but it got the job done. Reaching down, she used her kunai to lop off his head, stuffing it in a burlap sack she'd found. She didn't do anything about the rest of the body, nor about the blood.

"Oh, you're done already?" a male's voice filtered in. She found him on the windowsill, climbing in.

Ino pouted at him, "What, you don't trust me?"

"Not with a human male," he said dryly.

She grinned at him, striking a suggestive pose and purring seductively, "You know, _itoshii_... the people in the tavern are probably expecting to hear screaming..."

"So get Choji in here and take away his food."

"Ooh... but Shika..." she moaned breathlessly, knowing he saw not just Ino, but an aroused mate. She threw the head into the corner and leaning back into the bed slowly, body spread in a pose that made the lust in her mate's eyes flare to life. "Shika... I waaaaaaaant youuuuuu..."

He looked at her, raising a brow, "Stop that. He wants us back asap..." Ino's pout made his voice trail off, and he grinned, knowing he had lost, "...but I don't think he'd mind if we were a little late."

She grinned at him and drew his questing hands to her heated body, lips already locked on his own. Nara Shikamaru sighed in his head. They were going to get yelled at, he just knew it. But in his mate's arms, he found he just didn't care. Another mental sigh as he moaned aloud. How troublesome...

-

He stroked her hair as she whimpered. Smirking at the waning moon, his eyes took on a feral gleam, and a low laugh found its way through his throat. The sound was hung in the air, echoing in the ears of the girl, who whimpered some more.

"It's time, my dear," he crooned, "It's time..."

-

Flash... a bloody knife sticking out his chest...

Flash... a broken wine glass, shattered...

Flash... wild howls cursing the night...

Flash... the moon... slowly turning red...

She stifled cries at every scene, refusing to let her sobs be heard. She was alone, she knew that. But somehow... she had to prevent what was happening. Had to save her... had to save her...

-

Half-lidded eyes looked at the inky blackness that was quickly being covered with thick blankets of rolling clouds.

"It has begun."

-

As Ten Ten and Temari trained, as Shikamaru and Ino had their fun, as Sasuke finally smiled, as Hinata tried to understand the heat coursing through her veins, the rain began to fall...

Relentlessly...

Desperately...

_Insanely_...


	5. Chapter 4

**(Disclaimer)** I do not own Naruto. Characters and setting copyrighted to Masashi Kishimoto. All rights reserved, etc, etc. The plot and any character unrecognizable from the manga or anime are mine as well. Please do not use anything that falls underneath those categories without my permission. I am writing this for the sole purpose of entertainment and am not making any money off of it.

**(A/N)** This came out slightly easier than the last chapter, but then again, I'm actually completely awake when I write now so... There are a few explanations in this chapter. Not much happens though. As a note, the chapters might start getting a little longer... Other than that, read and enjoy and review! (_n.n_)

* * *

_He smirked, seeing the effect he had on her, "Sasuke. Uchiha Sasuke."_

_-_

_She stifled cries at every scene, refusing to let her sobs be heard. She was alone, she knew that. But somehow... she had to prevent what was happening. Had to save her... had to save her..._

_-_

"_It has begun."_

_-_

_As Ten Ten and Temari trained, as Shikamaru and Ino had their fun, as Sasuke finally smiled, as Hinata tried to understand the heat coursing through her veins, the rain began to fall..._

_Relentlessly..._

_Desperately..._

Insanely...

---------------------------------------------------------

**Fallen from Grace  
**_Taiyoukai Lady_

-

_**Chapter 4

* * *

**_

He was a Shadow.

Hinata knew it with a cold clarity that scared her. He was a Shadow. And she'd just hit him.

After the first kiss, he'd talked a bit about random topics. But then he approached again and Hinata did the first thing that came to mind.

She pushed him away.

With chakra.

Sasuke had been thrown back onto the floor and Hinata's legs had just collapsed when she realized what she'd done. Of course, when the small scratch he'd gotten on his cheek just disappeared after a few moments, she realized what she'd _really_ done. And the potential consequences.

She'd just blasted the _Kuroi Kurohyou_.

She knew it was him, that he was the Black Panther, the nightmare that had terrorized the country years ago. There was no doubt in her mind, no question of if was she right or wrong. Hinata supposed that, in the back of her mind, she'd always known, but how, she could not tell how she had.

Hinata watched, still as stone, terrified as only one who knew what it was like to be prey could, as Sasuke looked at her, a strange expression on his face. It took her a while to realize that he was amused.

"Do you know who I am?"

Hinata couldn't stop the words that tumbled from her lips. "Do I want to?"

Another moment of silence, another fleeting expression, and then, his eyes turned cold with an icy fury she had no desire to be at the end of.

"Leave," he hissed.

She ran.

-

He hurt.

It really made no sense. For ages, no one had gotten so much as a smirk out of him and now, within a few minutes, the girl was driving his senses mad and wreaking havoc with his emotions. It was, of course, only to be expected, he reminded himself. They had been mates before, and were meant to be mates now. It had been an eternity since he had tasted her skin and the look in her eyes said that, even if she did not understand, she wanted it too.

Sasuke's lips twitched into some semblance of a grin, pointed fangs sticking out against his lips. Well then, he'd just have to convince her to think otherwise of him.

-

It was a faint calling, a ghost that tugged at her and wouldn't let go, a child begging for candy, but despite this, Hinata found she just couldn't ignore it.

It was coming from him, she knew. Her body ached and trembled in his presence, her bones melting into a liquid heat that flowed along her veins. Hinata wasn't sure whether or not she liked the feeling. But no matter what she felt around him, he was still the _Kuroi Kurohyou_, still a Shadow, and Hinata would never be able to forget that.

She sighed, dejected. So how would this work? She couldn't avoid him, he was too powerful to ignore like that. Running away would be nearly impossible. Where would she run to? Besides, Ten Ten and Temari had seemed happy so...

Try as she might, Hinata couldn't convince herself it was for purely outside reasons that she was staying.

-

"Are you done yet?" Ino snapped at the eating boy. They were in a restaurant in what used to be New York City in the United States. Now it was just a shabby, run down mass of thieves and commoners desperately searching for a living. The rich got robbed almost daily, unless they, of course, participated in donating massive amounts of money to the poor shelters every year. It was like a system, a code of honor; the rich donated at least a million a year, and the poor did not rob them during that year. And considering that the rich usually made over ten million a year, the smart ones sensibly decided to follow the rules, losing a million instead of losing it all. The dumb ones usually lost it all within a few months.

However, New York City was not where they were supposed to be.

Shikamaru sighed. They were supposed to be in Tokyo by now, following the absurd instructions their leader had left them to find where they would receive their next assignment. But due to the other day's... activities, he and Ino had not gotten back until late, and now, the next morning, their other companion insisted on eating a buffet. Literally.

Akimichi Chouji mumbled a reply to Ino's question around the plateful of food he'd just stuffed into his mouth, "Mmf ryuay. Hmmmg ggnn mmerfnph!" Translation: No way. This food is great! At least, that's what Shikamaru thought he said. He needn't have worried. Chouji glanced at Ino's tapping foot, then at her murderous expression and promptly swallowed and stood.

A hesitant waiter approached rather timidly, a not-so-hopeful expression on his face, a trembling hand holding the bill. Ino turned to him and glared. Jabbing at her makeshift belt, she snarled, "Do you know what this sign means, you son of a bitch?"

The waiter paled even more when he looked at it, nodded frantically, dropping the bill. Ino smirked and walked out of the shabby place, ignoring the stares the rest of the customers gave them. Shikamaru sighed and Chouji followed. Why did he always have to clean up the mess? He dug into his pocket and threw a twenty dollar bill – not nearly enough to cover the cost of the food - at the waiter before leaving to catch up to his mate and friend.

They were waiting for him in the middle of the street, hands already joined. Ino grinned, grabbing Shikamaru's own hand. Shikamaru sighed once more and led them to an alley, pulling them behind him as he dove into the shadows, smirking as the strange_ chakra_ signature disappeared.

The person that had been following them cursed and dug out his cellphone. His boss would not be very happy.

-

She was stuck here, in this accursed place with monsters surrounding her day and night. How she yearned for the open meadows near her birthplace, where she used to wander under the full moon. But here, she could only stare where he told her to stare, walk where he told her to walk. If she could just escape...

But she couldn't. The manacles on her hands and on her feet were proof of that. Her matted hair reflected her low spirit, her dull white eyes staring listlessly at the space before her. The lock on her room's door turned and she looked up from her bed to see one of his subordinates beckoning to her, smiling a false smile full of faux sympathy.

"Orochimaru-dono wishes to see you again, Hanabi-sama."

How many times had she heard that? A hundred? A thousand? A million? It didn't matter anymore. It was just another command she followed mechanically, feet shuffling as she moved forward. Her eyes had long since lost the fiery intensity her elder sister had once been so proud of and she didn't even know if she could still summon the Blood that had been passed down in her clan generation by generation.

How long had it been since she had been captured? Hanabi didn't know, didn't care. All she heard was the clanking of her chains, all she felt was the rough rags she wore, all she felt was an empty, empty space within her.

Hanabi wanted to screech, wanted to sob, wanted to wail, wanted to tear herself apart, wanted to feel anything but this emptiness. But she couldn't, because he didn't want that. Because she couldn't go against him. Because no matter how much she struggled, he was still there, would forever be there, and she would obey him, because there was nothing else she could do but have her visions and hope someone would save her beloved aneue.

-

"Itai! Ugh, that's it! You bastard, I'm gonna slaughter you!" Temari glared at the annoyingly _calm_ boy that called himself Hyuuga Neji. The fact that Ten Ten had thoroughly thrashed her opponent (Naruto) was not helping matters, nor was the fact that both Ten Ten and Naruto were laughing their heads off at Temari's repeated falls.

Temari had to suppress a smile. It had been so long, so long, since she had been like this, relaxed and unguarded in a friendly place. So long since she had heard Ten Ten laugh like that, so long since she had fought against someone like this, so long since she felt... free.

"Are you going to attack me or not?" her opponent drawled.

Temari glared and muttered a curse under her breath. Sweeping her fan for some wind, she jumped onto it, allowing the draft to carry her upwards. Neji watched her calmly, not really caring much.

Wait... wait... now! Temari snapped her fan shut, dropping like a stone, twisting, she threw several _kunai_ and _shuriken_. Neji raised an eyebrow, dodging four as they sped past him on either side and knocking down the other five. "You need to work on your aim."

Temari smirked. "No. I don't." Still falling, Temari swung open her fan, causing a large wind before landing lightly on the ground. The weapons that had sped past Neji cut through the air even faster, the _kunai_ going straight and two _shuriken_ turned like a boomerang, circling around the boy a few times. Neji blinked in surprise as he felt a thin string wrap around his limbs. He swore as he felt a tug and fell on his back, glaring at the blonde. He hadn't been expecting her to actually be intelligent. He'd have to remedy that. Focusing _chakra_ to settle around his body, Neji used his energy to push outward, effectively shattering his bonds, leaping aside just as Temari's attack hit the space where he used to occupy.

Now, it was his turn to smirk. Settling into a stance, he -

"Hinata!"

- was promptly ignored in favor of the sighting of a certain dark-haired girl with a stammer. Neji stared in disbelief as he was, effectively, thrown aside like an old toy while the two girls set themselves upon the poor girl. Suppressing the desire to just bang his head against a wall, Neji calmed himself, setting his normal stoic expression on his face as he watched the reunion, amusement quickly replacing any irritation he felt.

"Hinata, where'd you go?"

"Hinata, you should see this place! It's totally awesome and -"

"What the hell happened to you, Hinata!"

And so on. Amazing that two girls could make so much noise.

Neji approached silently, an oddly quiet Naruto joining him. The chatter paused as they closed in, Hinata meeting their eyes warily, creamy globes widening in shock at the appearance of another with such eyes.

"I take it the meeting didn't go overly well?" Naruto asked in an uncharacteristically soft voice. Hinata blinked and lowered her eyes, lips compressed into a tight line. Naruto sighed. Running a hand through his hair, the blond starting walking past them. "Well then, I best go make sure he doesn't kill anyone. See ya."

That left Neji to explain to Hinata why he too had the white eyes she probably hadn't seen in anybody else. Damn. He sucked at explaining. Then again, he didn't envy Naruto's task. Sasuke was unpredictable at best and completely inconsolable at worst.

So when Hinata's questioning eyes met his, Neji just sighed and consoled himself by reminding himself that Naruto was much worse off.

"You're a Shadow," her soft voice poked through his thoughts.

Neji blinked and nodded, wondering what had happened to her stutter, "That's the name you've given our kind, yes."

"Your kind?" Ten Ten looked at him warily. She'd always thought the inhabitants of this... place were strange, but had set it aside, worried that if she showed suspicious signs the three of them would be killed.

"Yes, my kind," Neji spoke calmly, as if this happened everyday, "The name the Ancients gave us was vampire."

"Ancients?" this time it was Temari.

He nodded, "Ancients are the people who lived before the Ruin."

"Before the massacre your leader caused." That gave Neji something to pause about. He looked at Hinata, surprised that she'd figured it out. Sasuke had agreed with him that he wouldn't tell her yet, in hopes that they could gently ease her into their world. Apparently that was not to be. Ten Ten and Temari were tense next to their friend.

"You could say that," he continued, hoping there would be no more interruptions. "According to the Runes – a series of laws, traditions, and customs etched onto the rocks of Stonehenge – most vampires require a weekly Feeding, in which blood is sucked out of a victim until the bloodlust is sated. Human food can delay the need for blood and lessen it, but sooner or later, a Feeding will have to take place for the vampire – Shadow – to live." Seeing the suddenly guarded expressions, he hurried on, "However, if a vampire grows powerful enough or mates, this need for blood disappears, unless the vampire weakens too much or loses his or her mate. All the Shadows you will meet here will already have gained that level, so you have no need to worry."

Again, Hinata prompted him, "You mentioned mates?"

Neji was silent. "I think," he said carefully, "that I am not the one you should ask for that."

The silence rolled in like a heavy fog and clung to each of the four as they lost themselves in thought.

-

"SHIKA!"

Said male winced as Ino screamed at him. Focusing his energy into running and finding the right path, he ignored the shrieks of his mate and whining of his teammate.

The gigantic gray cloud that was chasing after them was a little harder to ignore.

The Paths were always annoying to use, the main irritations being the things that were currently chasing them. Also, only someone with the Blood or someone with darkness soaked into his very bones could ever navigate them properly. So far, Shikamaru knew of only one other person who could do so other than him.

Finding the correct Path, Shikamaru dived into the little tunnel of darkness it had formed, pulling a still shrieking mate and moaning teammate along with him.

Sakura had better be making some calming tea when they arrived...

-

"That idiot... when will he learn?" Hatake Kakashi sighed he read the report given to him by one of his many contacts.

"Not anytime soon," Uchiha Itachi murmured, red eyes showing his amusement. "Sasuke was never one to be patient. You knew that."

Kakashi scowled, "Yes, I know, but this... this will cause an uproar with the werewolf pack that lives in the mountains next to that village. He isn't an idiot, and neither are the people with him. They should know this."

Silence greeted him.

The silver-haired man turned and faced the male next to him. "What is it, Itachi?"

The red-eyed Shadow glided to the lone table cluttered with papers. One movement and half the papers were scattered on the floor. Kakashi just stepped around them. It wasn't like he didn't have their contents committed to memory.

One slim finger pointed to the map before him. "I don't think he was being as stupid as you think, Kakashi. Look at this."

Kakashi's eyes widened, "This... this is..."


	6. Chapter 5

**(Disclaimer)** I do not own Naruto. Characters and setting copyrighted to Masashi Kishimoto. All rights reserved, etc, etc. The plot and any character unrecognizable from the manga or anime are mine as well. Please do not use anything that falls underneath those categories without my permission. I am writing this for the sole purpose of entertainment and am not making any money off of it.

**(A/N)** Chapter 5, up and ready for you to read! (_n.n_) More explanations. I think there will be a little more action in the next chapter, but until then, you'll just have to wait. XD

* * *

"_You could say that," he continued, hoping there would be no more interruptions. "According to the Runes – a series of laws, traditions, and customs etched onto the rocks of Stonehenge – most vampires require a weekly Feeding, in which blood is sucked out of a victim until the bloodlust is sated. Human food can delay the need for blood and lessen it, but sooner or later, a Feeding will have to take place for the vampire – Shadow – to live." Seeing the suddenly guarded expressions, he hurried on, "However, if a vampire grows powerful enough or mates, this need for blood disappears, unless the vampire weakens too much or loses his or her mate. All the Shadows you will meet here will already have gained that level, so you have no need to worry."_

_Again, Hinata prompted him, "You mentioned mates?"_

_Neji was silent. "I think," he said carefully, "that I am not the one you should ask for that."_

_The silence rolled in like a heavy fog and clung to each of the four as they lost themselves in thought._

_-_

_One slim finger pointed to the map before him. "I don't think he was being as stupid as you think, Kakashi. Look at this."_

_Kakashi's eyes widened, "This... this is..."_

---------------------------------------------------------

**Fallen from Grace  
**_Taiyoukai Lady_

-

_**Chapter 5

* * *

**_

"_If I said I hated you, what would you do?"_

"_I wouldn't do anything."_

"_Really?"_

"_Of course. After all, you would never say that."_

"_... you're right."_

"_I'm always right."_

"_You are not - hey! Sasuke! Stop laughing! Sasuke!"_

-

He blinked awake, aware that the cloth that was supposed to act as a cover against the cold was in a heap on the floor. Lazily, he licked his fangs and sighed as he once again remembered the dream. There wasn't really great mystery in his mind choosing to showcase that particular memory.

Sasuke sighed and rose.

"You're finally awake."

Sasuke sat upright and glared at the man that had just appeared. "Shut up."

"Now, now Sasuke, you shouldn't say that to your beloved master..."

"Beloved master my ass. Why are you here? Wasn't Itachi with you?"

"He was," Kakashi chirped as he leaned against the wall, "but he decided there was something more important for him to do than visit his idiotic little brother. Such as... well, some cleaning and searching."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "You know."

Kakashi's expression was suddenly serious, "Yes, I do. And, though I doubt you'll listen, I'll tell you this. This is a dangerous game you're playing, Sasuke. Going to retrieve that from right under his nose... not even bothering to do so subtly; you might have bitten off more than you can chew. He'll definitely chase after you now. You could have bought yourself a few more years if you had just waited."

"I couldn't wait."

"Couldn't, or wouldn't?"

"Couldn't," Sasuke's tone was serious yet a little aggravated though Kakashi could tell that the aggravation was not directed at him. In his irritation, Sasuke's speech patterns returned to what they been when he was still in training. "Don't you think I would've waited if I could, shishou? I just found her, damn it. It's not like I wanted something to interfere. It would've been so much easier to bond her in peace. But that damn snake had something we didn't expect."

Kakashi was silent.

"He had Hyuuga Hanabi."

"... shit."

-

"Ino-san... a-are you sure...? I don't... I don't know if everyone will like it if there's that much spice..."

"Don't worry about it!" the blonde hummed as she poured in generous amounts of seemingly random spices. Hinata stared with disbelief and politely shook her head to a sample.

Ino, Shikamaru, and Chouji had all arrived late last night, when Hinata had been asleep. When she woke, it was to the grin of the blonde. Temari had instantly taken a disliking to Ino and disappeared to the training area, but Ten Ten had been amused by the energetic girl and stuck around with them. It wasn't until Ino declared they would make lunch that the weapons mistress had made excuses and ran. Ten Ten wasn't exactly the best cook.

Thanks to Ino, Hinata was now able to control her natural stutter to a certain degree. The blonde had been so comic in her insistence that she stop talking with the stammer that Hinata had finally just tried to stop simply so she wouldn't die from laughing. Of course, as soon as she did, Sasuke poked into her mind and she was immediately sober. Ino had taken one look at her solemn face and dragged her off to the kitchen, where they were now, determined to take Hinata's mind off whatever was troubling her.

"Mealtimes are almost the only time when everyone gets together," Ino explained, "so everyone makes an effort to be there at lunch."

"Why lunch?" Hinata asked while peering through the materials available.

"Because," Ino replied, voice dry, "we're pretty much dead during breakfast and we have a late dinner, so by that time, we're all tired and Sasuke's usually in a crappy mood, so we try not to disturb him. During lunch, we're all pretty energized and Sasuke usually hasn't found anything to piss him off yet."

Hinata grabbed the beef and turned back to Ino, "Does Sasuke-san usually find something to anger him?"

Ino frowned, "I could've sworn I just heard you call him 'san'."

"I did."

Ino stared. Then, she quickly set down what she had been holding – a bag of sugar – and pressed Hinata into a chair. Pulling over another chair, she sat down herself and looked at the other girl intently. "What happened?"

Hinata stared blankly at Ino before grimacing, looking away. In a soft voice, she related the events that had taken place in her first meeting with Sasuke. "And when I said that, he just looked at me. He was furious, I knew it. He was so angry..."

With a sigh, Ino ran a hand through her ponytail, choosing her words with care, "Sasuke is... well, Sasuke. He's always been a law unto himself. He's..."

"The Kuroi Kurohyou."

Ino nodded, "Yes, he is." A pause. "Do you... what do you know about the legend of the Kuroi Kurohyou?"

Hinata licked her lips, "The Kuroi Kurohyou was and is the most feared Shadow – vampire – in existence. In 1987, he killed half of the world's most influential people. It's said he was the first Shadow. In any case, his appearance marked the first wide scale appearance of Shadows. They say he can change into his namesake and only two Shadows have ever bested him, his brother and his teacher, both of which disappeared when he appeared."

Ino was nodding, "That's pretty accurate. But he definitely isn't the first vampire, or as you call us, Shadow. He's just the one who gained the most power in the shortest amount of time. I myself precede him as a vampire by several decades. At the moment, Sasuke's only about 100 years old. I'm 187 years old. We're both infants by vampire standards."

"I-infants?" Hinata said, voice faint.

"Yeah," Ino said, "But that's not the point. Do you know how vampires are changed?" Mute, Hinata shook her head. Ino continued, "Well, it's not just a simple bite on the neck and the sucking of blood, like a lot of humans seem to think. The entire process is a pain in the ass, and there are certain requirements. To become a vampire, you have to have watched someone die and you have to have an enormously strong will, unless you're born a vampire, which is pretty rare. This is because a vampire's life revolves around death. We're cheating it, and we deal it out."

Hinata nodded, "That makes sense. But why would you need an extremely strong will?"

"Have you ever had several thousand knives stab into you at the same time?"

"No."

"Well, that's what it feels like when you are changed," Ino clarified, "A lot of people actually die during the changing, which is why a strong will is needed. But you see, this pain can be diverted by the person changing you, you'll just start out weaker than you would have otherwise. This had been happening a lot lately, which is why there's such an abundance of vampires around. For hundreds of years, it's become a practice to divert the pain unless asked not to."

"Why... why would anyone _want_ to experience that - that pain?" Hinata asked, appalled.

"Sasuke did." Hinata's eyes widened. Ino went on, in a softer voice, "He changed because he had a goal in mind. He wanted to protect someone. The assassinations of those politicians? It was part of his training. He wanted that power, so he went through that pain. I remember my first meeting with him. Kami, he was beautiful. But so, so cold. He was – is – the perfect vampire; fast, strong, and willing to do anything for those he cares about. Someone like him... Hinata, he's not just a vampire, he is _the_ vampire. He's all a real vampire could want to be. To us... to me, to Shikamaru, to Sakura, to Neji, to every other vampire in existence... he's the epitome of perfection. He's not a legend, he's the legend. He's... he describes what it is to be a vampire."

"Who..." Hinata hesitated, not sure if she wanted to know the answer, "Who did he want to... to protect? Who was... so - so important to him that he went through... that he went through that just to protect them?"

Ino looked at her and opened her mouth to say something, but a sudden sizzling sound caught their attention. Ino jumped up; "Shit! I forgot about the food!" Racing to the stove, she hurriedly grabbed the pot and placed it onto the counter, turning the stove off and pouring come cold water into the soup itself. Hinata rushed to help, wiping the stove dry.

It wasn't until later that she realized Ino hadn't told her the answer to her not so simple question.

-

Itachi frowned as he sifted through the rubble of the town. Grimacing at the rotting corpses, he sighed and made a mental note to berate Sasuke for leaving such a mess. What had once been houses were now twisted pieces of burnt wood. What had once been a stable – not many people used cars these days –was now a pile of twigs. Itachi even spotted what he supposed had used to be some sort of shrine to some god, the piles of incense still somehow smoking where they had been discarded, the little clay figurine cracked and broken. There was what looked to be a body before it; the shape impossible to see due to scavengers ripping the flesh off its bones.

The entire place was a mass of chipped stone, burnt wood, and twisted metal. Sasuke hadn't been the only one here during the raid.

Bending down, Itachi picked up a smashed locket with a broken clasp. If not for the dent and the ash, Itachi would've thought the locket had merely been dropped on the ground in some girl's hurry to get somewhere; it didn't look like it had been tumbled around through the fighting that had occurred.

It had not been just a simple incursion, Itachi knew. There were almost always a few survivors, and there was never the widespread destruction apparent here. His people staged a raid only when needed; that was the unwritten law since the very beginning of their existence. Even Sasuke wouldn't break it carelessly. No, it had not been just a raid.

For some reason, another group had met Sasuke's here; most probably to stage a raid. But the signature of Sasuke's chakra on the chakra of those present should have told the other grouping to move off and choose another town. Unless the resistance had been deliberate.

But who would be powerful enough– or stupid enough- to try and go against Sasuke? Every vampire knew of the massacre Sasuke had inflicted upon the world – and that had only been a part of his training. Only a fool wouldn't be afraid of him.

Unless he wanted to fight Sasuke. Unless he wanted to get the vampire so aggravated he would take action. Unless he wanted to awaken the _Kuroi Kurohyou_.

Unless he didn't have anything to lose and had everything to gain.

The black-haired vampire, clutching the locket in his hand, disappeared in a haze of black; a tsunami of thoughts crashing throughout his mind.

Itachi didn't know what Sasuke was playing at, or who he was playing with, but it was dangerous game that could very well destroy the world once more.

-

She blinked.

And blinked.

And blinked again.

After Tenten was sufficiently convinced that the food before her was not a mirage, she looked hesitantly at Temari who was still staring, and then to Hinata who seemed to be thinking about something, paying no attention to the food whatsoever. Tenten supposed that was a good thing for the girl, because the meal looked... well, _red_.

"Er... Ino-san...?" Tenten asked slowly.

"Call me Ino. Yes?" Ino looked up from where she was trying to get Chouji to stop eating so fast.

"Uh... Ino, exactly_ how_ much spice did you put in this...?"

"Stew?" Tenten nodded weakly. "Oh, not much. I just dumped in a little bit of everything. I didn't think it would turn so red though. I have no idea why that happened... well, Chouji likes it, so I'm assuming it's not horrible."

If possible, Tenten turned a little paler, "You mean you didn't taste it?"

Ino blinked, "Why would I do that? It_ looked_ fine."

"Fine..." Temari managed to croak out. "Yeah... fine... Do you have anything without these... spices?"

Ino thought for a moment, then shrugged, "No, I don't think so. We've got a few extra blood packs but cold blood tastes hideous and I don't think you'd like that anyways."

Temari seemed to be suppressing something like a groan before she sighed, picked up her spoon and, obviously trying not to look, shoved a spoonful of the 'stew' into her mouth, prepared to spit it right back out. Instead, Tenten watched as she blinked and swallowed with an amazed look in her eyes. Looking at the stew, she scooped up another spoonful and carefully poured it into her mouth. Blinking down at the stew in amazement, Temari shrugged, shook her head, and calmly started drinking mouthful after mouthful. Encouraged by Temari's success, Tenten also tasted the stew and, a few minutes later, was down and searching for more of the exquisite food. So much for too much spice.

"Well then, looks like we're late," someone drawled from the doorway. Tenten delayed her search to look at the newcomer and furrowed her brow at the man standing there with his hair tied back in a short ponytail. Ino shrieked and launched herself at him with a loud "Shika!" Tenten concluded that this 'Shika' was her mate or something. Poor guy.

"... Ino, you can fuck him later, but for now, _move_," an icy voice growled. Tenten couldn't see the owner of that voice, but she had to admit, any guy with that voice was either a gorgeous hunk of TDH – Tall, Dark, and Handsome – or a really creepy evil dude. She hoped it was the former.

Ino pouted, still blocking the room's view of the male, "Aw... you take the fun out of everything! Lighten up already!"

"What did I say?" the voice replied calmly.

A chortle that she identified as Naruto entered Tenten's ears, "Better move, Ino. He's in a pissy mood today."

Ino blinked and whistled, "Already? Wow, Sa-"

"Ino!"

"Alright, alright! Geez..." Ino muttered as she dragged 'Shika' back to her chair, clearing the way for Tenten's sight.

Her eyes widened and her spoon clattered into her empty bowl. Beside her, she knew Temari was doing the same. His eyebrows rose at the shock shown in her eyes, black eyes flickering around the room. Tenten watched as his gaze fell on Hinata but it was for a mere second as both she and Temari leaped up, her chair rocking dangerously while Temari's seat just falling over entirely.

"You!"


	7. Chapter 6

**(Disclaimer)** I do not own Naruto. Characters and setting copyrighted to Masashi Kishimoto. All rights reserved, etc, etc. The plot and any character unrecognizable from the manga or anime are mine as well. Please do not use anything that falls underneath those categories without my permission. I am writing this for the sole purpose of entertainment and am not making any money off of it.

**(A/N)** I apologize for taking so long. Chapter 6 is ready for you to read, enjoy, and review. (_n.n_) This chapter is going to focus on Sasuke, Tenten, and Temari, but there's also a short fight scene with... well, you'll see. Just to let you know, these chapters were mainly so in the later chapters, I can go faster without having to stop and explain everything. Once all the basic information is out of the way, this fic will really pick up, so be patient. Oh, and if you don't know what Stress (also known as James Bond) is then put that in your review and I'll reply and try to explain. (_n.n_) XP

I actually wasn't very satisfied with this chapter though. I hope you have better thoughts about it, but I'm not so hopeful. **Thanks to DarkWindKaze, from LJ for beta-reading this chapter.**

* * *

"_Sasuke did." Hinata's eyes widened. Ino went on, in a softer voice, "He changed because he had a goal in mind. He wanted to protect someone. The assassinations of those politicians? It was part of his training. He wanted that power, so he went through that pain. I remember my first meeting with him. Kami, he was beautiful. But so, so cold. He was – is – the perfect vampire; fast, strong, and willing to do anything for those he cares about. Someone like him... Hinata, he's not just a vampire, he is the vampire. He's all a real vampire could want to be. To us... to me, to Shikamaru, to Sakura, to Neji, to every other vampire in existence... he's the epitome of perfection... He's not a legend, he's the legend. He's... he describes what it is to be a vampire."_

"_Who..." Hinata hesitated, not sure if she wanted to know the answer, "Who did he want to... to protect? Who was... so - so important to him that he went through... that he went through that just to protect them?"_

_-_

_The black-haired vampire, clutching the locket in his hand, disappeared in a haze of black, a tsunami of thoughts crashing around his mind._

_Itachi didn't know what Sasuke was playing at, or who he was playing with, but it was dangerous game that might very well destroy the world once more._

_-_

"_Alright, alright! Geez..." Ino muttered as she dragged 'Shika' back to her chair, clearing the way for Tenten's sight._

_Her eyes widened and her spoon clattered into her empty bowl. Beside her, she knew Temari was doing the same. His eyebrows rose at the shock shown in her eyes, black eyes flickering around the room. Tenten watched as his gaze fell on Hinata but it was for a mere second as both she and Temari leaped up, her chair rocking dangerously while Temari's seat just falling over entirely._

"_You!"_

* * *

**Fallen from Grace  
**_Taiyoukai Lady_

* * *

_**Chapter 6**_

The accusing tone allowed the word to dangle in the air like a hangman's noose, completely destroying the relaxed air present before. Ino had frozen in mid-sentence, her hand still clutching Shikamaru's arm. Shikamaru was blinking at the outburst's origin, mouth parted in surprise. Chouji's cheeks were bulging out, showing that he had yet to swallow the last plateful of food. Sasuke himself was silent yet calm, a mountain in the face of a coming storm, his only reaction being one delicately arched brow.

Hinata, however, was terrified. The aura surrounding Sasuke was murderous, even if he didn't show it himself. Or rather, he did show it, but Hinata didn't know why she noticed the little hints that she did: a weakly clenched jaw, a twitch of the finger, a minuscule alteration in his posture, a quick flash in the eyes. Such things should only be known by someone who had spent a lifetime with him, and Hinata had only met him twice; the first time being when he transported her to this place, the second being the meeting that had not ended well.

But try as she did to ignore them, they were there, and almost as if it were second nature, Hinata picked up the infinitesimal alterations like they were her native tongue. She knew him better than she knew herself, and she had a feeling it was the same with him.

Caught as she was in her thoughts, Hinata missed the first part of the dialogue, but was able to catch the next few words, and consequently, her involvement.

"- what do you want with Hinata?" Temari hissed, her hand inching towards a hidden kunai. Her fan may be gone, but Sasuke didn't doubt she was just as skilled without it. Beside her, he noted that Tenten already had three shuriken in her left hand with the right balled up in a fist. She was silent, but the furious glare she sent him was all she needed to convey her thoughts.

Sasuke smiled coldly at Temari's question, "I see you remember. Pity. Those are some memories you could've gone without."

"Answer the question!" her voice harsh and rough, her lips twisted into a scowl, Temari looked like a tigress ready to kill.

"I believe," Sasuke said calmly, "that this land's deed belongs to me. Therefore, I expect you to follow the rules set here. One of them being not to pester me with pointless questions." And with that, he ignored their enraged expressions, sweeping past them with a languid stride to seat himself next to the head of the table. Coincidentally, it also put him next to Hinata, who gave him a wary glance but said nothing.

"Temari, Tenten, why aren't you two sitting down?" a new voice broke through the tense silence. The voice was pleasant; not too cold nor too warm. Hinata turned to see a silver-haired man with a mask covering half his face grin at them and take the head seat. Temari and Tenten, after staring for a little longer, sat down in a huff, still shooting glares at Sasuke, which he disregarded. The man smiled and turned to Hinata, "Why, hello, Hinata. I see you've still the beautiful features I remember. So nice of you to grace us with your presence!"

Hinata blinked. Exactly how was she to respond to _that_? Luckily (or not), Sasuke replied for her, "Sensei, stop flirting." His tone was dry and amused, like this had been expected.

The silver-haired man chuckled," As you wish, Sasuke-_sama_." Ignoring the scowl, he turned once more to Hinata, "Well, seeing as Sasuke here is rather protective, I'll just introduce myself and charm you later." He held out a hand, grinning at her. "Hatake Kakashi. The worlds become brighter with your entrance, my dear."

Despite herself, Hinata blushed lightly. However, the red tint was soon erased when she saw three glares directed at Kakashi – Temari, Tenten, and Sasuke.

Finding his appetite once more, Chouji grinned and mumbled a greeting as he swallowed the half-chewed food in his mouth and proceeded to stuff more in. Shikamaru nodded and sat next to Ino, who beamed at the new arrival and turned to talk to him for the rest of the meal.

In the other section of the table, there was little conversation that included two people. Kakashi chatted at random about whatever came to mind, the other four remarking on something every once in a while, usually relating to their current mood. If not for the fact that she felt she was somehow the cause of it, Hinata would've been rather amused at the situation. As it was, she was anxious and slightly upset.

The rest of the meal passed smoothly, if quietly. Sasuke was the first to leave, Shikamaru and Ino second, with Chouji trailing behind. Temari and Tenten left after a look at each other, leaving only a rather lost Hinata and a silently snickering Kakashi. Hinata, as befitted a lady, made polite small talk with Kakashi before excusing herself.

Once in her room, she collapsed onto the bed there, groaning into the pillows.

Why did life have to be so complicated?

-

"What do you want?"

The blunt question didn't faze her, he had doubted it would, but even so, she was obviously a little unnerved. He had that affect on most people.

"You know what we want," Temari replied in a fierce whisper, though trying to remain calm.

Sasuke just raised an eyebrow, inviting her to go on, "I do?"

"What do you want with Hinata!" Temari snapped, unable to wait any longer.

"Nothing." They sneered at him, obviously not believing him. He conceded the point, "At least, not yet."

Temari blinked at this, "Not yet? What do you mean?"

He sighed, running his fingers through his raven locks, "I had a meeting with her. Yesterday. It didn't end well. At least, not as well as I would've liked."

"And what you would've liked was her in your bed, am I wrong?" Temari spat.

The accusation forced him to laugh, "Yes and no. If she'd offered and meant it, I'd accept. But even the dirtiest of whores have standards, and I am far above that level." He chortled at the wry look she sent his way, clearly expressing her disbelief. "Believe it or not, I do. I will let her know exactly what I want, but I will also allow her the choice."

Temari was silent. Finally, her voice broke through again, this time soft, "You haven't changed," she smiled at him. "That's good."

Sasuke blinked and cocked a brow at her, "Oh, so this was just a test?"

She smirked at him, "Of course! Had to make sure you were still the right one..."

"Just a question, but how did you remember?"

"I was dropped on my head."

"Pardon?"

"You heard me," she grinned wryly, "I was dropped on my head when I was five, right when I started learning how to use my fan. That was also about the time I was given to the Hyuuga clan as a payment of a debt."

Sasuke stared at her, incredulous, "I... see."

Temari laughed in his face. Turning to leave, she shot over her shoulder, "You better protect her this time, Uchiha! Or I'll kill you so you can join her at the very least!"

-

He was not surprised to see Tenten come in after Temari, grinning amusedly. In the polar opposite mood she had been in during the meal, she positively beamed at him when he turned towards her.

"I'm assuming Temari told you?" he asked. "Well then, how did _you_ regain your memories?"

"That time when you saved Hinata when she was four. I was there. It... sparked it," Tenten told him calmly. She looked him squarely, her eyes hiding nothing, merely shining with a determination as hard as steel. "You didn't protect her before, Uchiha. I find that hard to forgive. She died because of those mob connections of yours before the Ruin. Will she die again this time because of your connections to Shadows?"

"No."

"You didn't protect her, Uchiha. I don't see why I should hand her over to some idiot who had failed to save her – what's the count? - for over 20 times now," her mention of the past was casual, but it was more than enough to get Sasuke to throw her a heated glare. Clearly, he remembered, and just as clearly, he did not like to be reminded of past mistakes.

But she didn't either. When she'd regained the memories, it wasn't just the past life time, it was all of the lives she'd lived. And every single one of them revolved around Hinata; whether she was an assassin out to kill, or a cashier at a department store, Tenten couldn't remember when Hinata _hadn't_ been there. And it pained her to have to bring back such memories that had ended her friend's existence time and time again.

And yet, she had too. She knew Sasuke was hurting more than she was at such thoughts, but Tenten had to drive home her point. Twenty lifetimes was nineteen too many.

She didn't want to see Hinata's blood pooling around her motionless body again. She didn't want to see her body eaten away by disease again. She didn't want to see Hinata's heart beat, even as it was torn from her chest. She didn't want to a raven-haired man allow himself to waste away again. She didn't want to see such happiness shatter again. She didn't want to see Sasuke's pain again. She didn't want to see it.

"I won't."

Tenten looked up into Sasuke's eyes, stepping backwards as she noted the indomitable fury. His voice was cold as he offered her what she had desired, "I won't allow her die again. She's mine. And I've had enough of her dying. I promise you that."

They stared hard at each other for an eternity that passed in the blink of an eye. Tenten was the first to break the tension. She smiled, "Do you really mean that?"

"Of course."

"... I won't interfere, but if you -"

"Fail to protect her you'll kill me so she'll have company in the afterlife, correct?"

Tenten blinked at him, her expression breaking out into a grin, "That's right, Sasuke. That's exactly right."

-

Step. Block. Strike. Dodge. Strike. Block. Strike. Block. Block. Dodge. Strike. Oh, and throw a random _shuriken_.

This was getting rather menial.

It wasn't that Itachi disliked fighting. On the contrary, it was one of the only activities he approved of in excess amounts. However, the kind of fighting he liked was a kind where the opponent could actually do at least one of three things: land a blow on you, keep up with your speed, or use tactics that had a chance of working. The goons that he was currently fighting – and killing – fit none of the three criteria. Therefore, this fight was pointless.

When he got back to wherever Sasuke was living at this time, he was going to beat the crap out of Kakashi for winning that game of Stress and making Itachi go scout out the damn area.

Until then, he'd satisfy himself by beating the crap out of these werewolves.

Suddenly, the fight didn't seem so menial.

-

"Agh, damn it, _get her_, you fuckin' _morons_!"

"But... she – oomf!" The sentence never finished as a _kunai_ found the man's throat, the point protruding out of the front. The other man swore and jumped back to avoid the falling body, quickly summoning the claws and fangs attributed to his kind. Hunching over as he felt his spine crunch into his demi-form, eyes darting back and forth in the darkness of the abandoned building.

"Talk," something breathed into his ear. The voice was feminine, if a little deep. A once non-existent blade appeared at his throat. The sharp edge drew a thin line of blood as he breathed.

Trying not to cause the edge to push too far, the man was reduced to a babbling pile of blood, bone, and flesh, "He... he... he said... to retrieve you... said... Hana... Hana... found something... and... and... and..."

The female released him as he collapsed, eyes rolling back, his heart beating even as his brain struggled to move an unresponsive body. She waited for a few moments, nodding in a satisfied way as the deadly poison carried him down to what she hoped was Hell.

Sneering down at the corpse of the half-transformed werewolf, she paused to roll the stammered words around in her mind. So... the little girl found something, had she? Important enough to warrant calling her back... Interesting...

A languid grin spread over her features as she leaped away, heading back to the isolated cave she called home.

Time to move again.

-

Tenten looked weary as she sat down on the soft bed. Temari sat in the chair across from her, settling herself with a heaviness that could've belonged to a thousand-year-old woman on her deathbed. They looked at each other soundlessly for a moment.

Temari broke the silence with a question, "Well?"

Tenten shrugged, "It wasn't bad. There wasn't really much to say."

The other girl nodded in agreement. More silence. And then...

"I believe him."

Tenten blinked in surprise as she looked at the blonde.

"I do," Temari reiterated. "I really do believe him, Tenten. Or rather, I really want to believe him. But... Tenten, twenty times... how... how can we make this time different..." Her voice was desperate, and yet, beaten and worn at the same time.

"I don't know..." Tenten replied, closing her eyes. "I don't know..."

-

Her feet padding softly on the floor, Hinata poked her head into the dining room. Seeing no one, she smiled and hummed as she practically skipped into the kitchen where -

- Sasuke was... cooking?

"Ah, U-uchiha-san?"

The raven head turned and Sasuke nodded at her before asking casually, "Hungry?"

"Uh... y-yes... tha-thank you," Hinata said softly as she took the plate of food that had just appeared in his hand. He pointed to a random drawer, and Hinata opened to find a stack of silverware neatly sorted into several different piles. Grabbing a fork, she closed the drawer and walked back into the dining room, sitting at the same chair she had sat in before, musing over her discovery. Before long, Sasuke had walked out with his own plate of food. He took a seat across from her and quickly bit into his breakfast.

Hinata found her self fascinated by the way his movements were still so sure and confident, even as his eyes started to glaze over slightly, as if he were in thought. Then again, he was eating. How badly could eating without your attention on your food go?

Splash.

Hinata decided to take that last thought back.

Reaching for a napkin to wipe away the spilled milk, Hinata was surprised to see another pale hand reach out and wipe it away. His method was a little more straightforward. The milk splashed down on the floor. Sasuke ignored it, returning to his meal. She blinked, closed her open mouth, and scolded herself for not paying attention more.

That didn't stop her eyes from wandering to his face every five seconds.

It wasn't his features that attracted his eyes, beautiful as they were to the point of femininity; it was the fact that for some strange reason, Hinata felt that this was face she knew better than her own. That his voice was a voice she knew better than her own. It made no sense.

And yet, Hinata felt that for some reason she had yet to discern, it made perfect sense.

-

Closing her eyes, she looked out at the stars from under weary eyelids. She couldn't ignore the calling for a Feeding or a short Reverie any longer than a few minutes at most, her energies stretched so thin as they were. As it was, she was way beyond what her body told her was a safe limit. Even vampires couldn't last a week without food, drink, or rest without extreme repercussions.

Still, even with her body begging her for a long Reverie, she couldn't bear to close her eyes again. Turning, her eyes automatically switched to infrared vision as the moon's light failed to penetrate the darkness of the deep cave she called home. Maybe she would be able to fall into Reverie when she was actually lying down.

Contrary to popular belief, vampires did not sleep in coffins. Rather, they slept just where humans slept – in beds. However, the sleep of a vampire was more like a light doze that rejuvenated the body while leaving the senses alert as ever – Reverie. Her own bed was just a cotton futon lain on a large patch of moss. But it certainly served its purpose.

Her hypothesis proved accurate; when she sat down, her eyelids immediately grew heavier. Sighing, she allowed her eyes to close and leaned back into the simple bed. But just because her sight was gone didn't mean her mind was stop thinking.

Without the real world around her to keep her distracted, her mind immediately fell into herself, seeking the little ball that lived there – her connection to her mate. He was pleased at the moment; she could tell from the flash of colors in the ball, about what, she did not know. It wasn't very hard to guess though.

Sighing, Tsunade wished that all her troubles would go away, and she would awake from her Reverie, only to discover that this was all a bad dream, that her mate and her best friend weren't at odds with each other, and that she was back in her mate's arms, instead of out here, running from a man she loved, cold and tired.


	8. Chapter 7

**(Disclaimer)** I do not own Naruto. Characters and setting copyrighted to Masashi Kishimoto. All rights reserved, etc, etc. The plot and any character unrecognizable from the manga or anime are mine as well. Please do not use anything that falls underneath those categories without my permission. I am writing this for the sole purpose of entertainment and am not making any money off of it.

**(A/N)** _August 24, 2006_: I apologize for being so late with this chapter, but that was because I was in China and my parents hadn't allowed me to bring my laptop with me. I actually finished it before I left, but I didn't fine-tone it, so it never got updated. Anyways...

Chapter 7 is here. It is, however much I am reluctant to admit it, short. -.- I don't like short. But I suppose it doesn't make much of a difference. I'd like to note that while Anko's hair _is_ purple, I have made it black for the time being. No, it's _not_ just a whim on my part; it actually has relevance to the overall fic. And don't ask why, you'll see when I actually type it out.

**A BIG thank you to BlackWindKaze. He is the _best_ beta _ever_. (nods)**

_Edited_: September 15, 2006 - I got a detail about Hinata wrong that was important for the next chapter.

* * *

_Sneering down at the corpse of the half-transformed werewolf, she paused to roll the stammered words around in her mind. So... the little girl found something, had she? Important enough to warrant calling her back... Interesting..._

_-_

"_I believe him."_

_Tenten blinked in surprise as she looked at the blonde._

"_I do," Temari reiterated. "I really do believe him, Tenten. Or rather, I really want to believe him. But... Tenten, twenty times... how... how can we make this time different..." Her voice was desperate, and yet, beaten and worn at the same time._

"_I don't know..." Tenten replied, closing her eyes. "I don't know..."_

_-_

_It wasn't his features that attracted her eyes, beautiful as they were to the point of femininity; it was the fact that for some strange reason, Hinata felt that this was face she knew better than her own. That his voice was a voice she knew better than her own. It made no sense._

_And yet, Hinata felt that for some reason she had yet to discern, it made perfect sense._

_-_

_Without the real world around her to keep her distracted, her mind immediately fell into herself, seeking the little ball that lived there – her connection to her mate. He was pleased at the moment; she could tell from the flash of colors in the ball, about what, she did not know. It wasn't very hard to guess though._

_Sighing, Tsunade wished that all her troubles would go away, and she would awake from her Reverie, only to discover that this was all a bad dream, that her mate and her best friend weren't at odds with each other, and that she was back in her mate's arms, instead of out here, running from a man she loved, cold and tired._

---------------------------------------------------------

**Fallen from Grace  
**_Taiyoukai Lady_

-

_**Chapter 7**_

* * *

It was madness.

It was turmoil.

It was _chaos._

She reveled in it.

Screams rose and fell in the air as metal tasted blood. Moans provided an almost harmonic background as the dying lay on the ground, feeling the life trickle out of their weak bodies. The melody of war cries, screams, and the clashing of blades cascaded over the earth and floated with the wind. It was a morbid song, and the scene it represented even more so.

The two 'armies' covered almost half the meadow—so many were they. As it stood, the grass would be dyed red that day. She had never quite understood her father's delight when he recalled something he had called 'swimming in blood'. She did now.

Smiling evilly, she readily pulled out a kunai, darting forward and slashing at enemy colors.

Oops, did she just hit one of her own soldiers? Oh, well.

Her black hair bobbed up and down in the melee as she rushed forward, slashed, retreated, moved forward again, killed, and leapt back. It was a pattern that not only allowed her the pleasure of the kill, but also the euphoria she felt watching her victim's expressions, all with a lessened chance of ever getting wounded. It was good arrangement.

Gleefully, she laughed aloud as she stood before a wide-eyed man, staring at her in terror. His shaking hands held a rusted katana that would never be able to cut anything. She couldn't understand why he didn't just run.

The sound of bawling cleared up that question. Peering behind the man, she could see a woman, desperately trying to calm a fat baby. Crying into the folds of her kimono were two young children; one girl, one boy. She nearly laughed at the sight.

'_Such a curious bunch, these humans._'

She especially took joy in the screams of the children as they watched their father die, the bawling of the baby as it's mother died with it. As well as the terrified expression of the remaining boy as he watched her walk closer, the memories of his family's death vividly imprinted in his petrified mind.

-

"So you're the person who's been such a bother for the last few days."

His eyes remained closed, black cloak effectively hiding his small smirk. The voice had an air of smugness to it that Itachi doubted could be backed up, sensing a very low chakra level. Either this man had the ability to conceal his own chakra– not very likely considering how much control that required – or he had something up his sleeve. Either way, Itachi doubted he was very important. No doubt this man and his little group of thugs were sent as expendable scouts to judge how powerful he was. Itachi felt a little insulted by such low-level opponents.

But then again, who was he to complain? He needed to get back to Sasuke and Kakashi soon, so they could make use of the information he had gathered. The easier the opponent, the faster he could do so.

"Heh, rather girly ain't you?" the man sneered again. Itachi resisted the urge to roll his eyes; like he hadn't heard that before. He remained silent.

"Hey boss!" another man called eagerly. "Why not knock him unconscious and let us have some fun with him?"

The lewd way in which he said it almost made Itachi flinch. Just great. Why was homosexuality and bisexuality so widespread these days? Not that he should say anything... Itachi's thoughts flashed back to the time he'd been spending with a certain silver-haired person that was decidedly male. No, he really should not be talking.

A chuckle. Obviously, the leader wasn't very opposed to some male-male action either. "Sure, why not? Let's get him, boys!"

A wave of growls, laughs, and the cracking of bone as most of them transformed rang in the air. Itachi sighed. What a bother. One particularly eager werewolf leaped at him, snarling. Itachi pulled out a kunai, letting it whistle through the air with deadly accuracy.

Let the bloodshed begin.

-

Kakashi blinked.

And blinked again.

And again.

Actually, he continued to blink for quite a while before finally stopping when there was a sharp rapping on his bedroom door.

"Sensei?" Sakura's voice called out. "It's almost lunch. Will you be joining us?"

"Eh... I'll be right there," he called back.

"Alright then." Footsteps signaled that she had left.

With the distraction gone, Kakashi turned his attention back to the little ball of consciousness in the back of his mind – his connection with his mate.

Itachi was obviously annoyed at the moment, but something – shock…or was it anger? - had rippled through their bond strongly enough that Kakashi had been able to feel it without wanting to. _That_ was warning enough that something was wrong; Itachi could hide his emotions from showing up in the connection very well; something that usually had Kakashi grumbling on and on about 'trust'. Needless to say, such grumbling didn't affect Itachi much.

Still, the aged vampire could not help but be worried. It was rare that Itachi ever experienced such extreme feelings – unless it was at night. And Kakashi himself was usually the cause of _those_. But this...

'_Itachi..._' Kakashi frowned. '_Itachi. Itachi. Itachi!_'

'...w_hat?_'

Kakashi grinned at the exasperation in Itachi's voice, mental or not. Mates had a strong telepathic connection that could not be broken by anything but death. It was quite useful in spy missions and the like.

'_What's going on?_'

''

'_Itachi?_'

'_I'm not quite sure myself. I'll tell you when I join you. I trust my darling little brother is well?_' A deaf-mute could've heard the sarcasm there.

Kakashi scowled. Trust Itachi to change the subject. '_He's fine. Hurry up._'

'_Of course._' Abruptly, the connection was muted once more, and Kakashi let it drop from his mind. Ah, well. Just because his mate had trust problems didn't mean he did. Yawning, Kakashi left the room.

Hmm... he wondered what was for lunch.

-

Her brow creased as she scowled lightly, Hinata sighed as whatever had been about to appear in her mind disappeared. She resumed what she had been doing before – moderating how much spice and whatnot Ino put into the food.

It wasn't that it didn't taste _good_. On the contrary, it tasted wonderful. It was just that... well, Tenten awoke in the middle of the night to find she had a bloody nose. In the room next door, Temari awoke and had to rush to the bathroom to throw up. Shikamaru said that he couldn't fall asleep at all and Chouji couldn't eat anything (which showed that there was definitely something wrong). Even Naruto claimed that he never wanted to eat it again, despite the fact that he had been the soup's biggest advocate the night before. All in all, Ino seemed to be the only one unaffected, other than Sasuke, Hinata, Neji, and Kakashi. But then again, Neji hadn't even been there, Kakashi had been too busy talking, Sasuke too busy scowling at nothing, and Hinata just too upset to eat much.

So now Hinata was warily watching Ino mutter to herself into her breath and glare at the pot of soup as she glanced at the various containers lying around. The blond snatched up the salt, shaking the container. Hinata could've sworn at least half the container had been dumped in there. In the privacy of her mind, she told herself _not_ to touch the soup.

Still, the soup wasn't the only thing on Hinata's mind. As her deft hands molded small piles of rice into the triangular shape of onigiri, her thoughts wandered.

Lately, it seemed that there was something... _stirring_ in the back of her mind. Uncoiling, like a sea serpent awaking in its cave, slowly unwrapping itself, grazing the light outside but never giving itself away as it did so. Hinata was nearly ready to scream with frustration. It was like opening a much coveted book, only to find that the pages were empty, void of words or images. Oh, it wasn't completely empty. Letters were starting to write themselves, but never in any particular order, and never in a way that made sense. It was watching Monet paint – at about one dab of paint per hour.

Hinata figured the easiest thing to do would be to just give up and wait until it explained itself, but somehow she couldn't bring herself to do that. Perhaps this was a clue to why Sasuke had wanted her here. Maybe this would help explain the complete wholeness she felt when he was around, the undeniable connection between them that Hinata couldn't explain. It was a wild hope, but a hope nonetheless.

Scolding herself, Hinata returned her attention to the task at hand. '_Make the onigiri, keep Ino from burning the food, ignore anything else._' She repeated the mantra over and over. '_Make the onigiri, keep Ino from burning the food, ignore anything else. Make onigiri, keep Ino from burning, ignore anything. Make onigiri, keep -_'

"Ah, Ino-san! The soup is -"

Boom.

"- on fire."

She sighed.

-

Sakura had already knocked on the door, saying it was lunch. A grunt of acquiescence had been enough to send her away, and now, Sasuke stood, staring out the window at the surrounding woodland. Although quite secure and easy to defend, there was no cellphone connection here; something that vaguely annoyed him. It took longer for him to reach information here, but he supposed it was worth the sacrifice. Besides, Neji was fast.

As if the thought of the other had summoned him, Sasuke felt the sudden appearance of another chakra signature behind him. Very few could penetrate the barrier around his room without any repercussions, and he doubted the only other one besides Neji who could do it would. Yet.

"Did you get the information I wanted?" Sasuke asked, not bothering to turn around.

"Yes," Neji said calmly, pulling out a scroll. "It's all right here. It'll self-destruct one hour after it's unrolled."

Sasuke nodded; standard procedures to protect gathered information. One hour was all he needed anyways. But, of course, scrolls were very unsafe.

"Anything of great importance you didn't put on the scroll?"

A slight pause. "It seems there was a rather large battle this morning. A raid on a village. Kinre, the one in the Meadow of Kira to the south." Another pause. "Reports say that there was a woman there with short black hair. She seemed to be commanding the invading forces." Pause. "There were no survivors."

Sasuke turned around, "I see. Is that all?"

Neji nodded, "Anything else is on that scroll."

"Eat some lunch," Sasuke suggested. "After that, I want you to take Ino, Shikamaru, Naruto, and Temari and scout the area."

If Neji was surprised at the addition of Temari, he made no motion that suggested it. Instead, there was only a nod of acquiescence. "And Chouji? Sakura? Tenten? Hinata?"

Sasuke smirked, "You'll see."

Accepting this as the best answer he would receive, Neji gave a small bow, and turned to leave. However, just as he was about to close the door, Sasuke's voice rang out once more, his tone dry.

"I just got notified a little while ago. Gai says he and Lee should be dropping by sometime today."

Neji resisted the urge to bang his head against the wall.

-

The door shut softly, only a puff of wind marking the passage of wood as it closed the space. Sasuke's fist clenched and unclenched as he scowled at the wall. Kinre. Gone.

_'Reports say that there was a woman there with short black hair. She seemed to be commanding the invading forces.'_

Obsidian eyes narrowed into venomous slits. He knew exactly why that town had been attacked.

'_You won't get away with this, Anko._'

-

Flash... a panther fighting a snake. A slug watching sadly. A frog glaring accusingly. A fan on the wind, tumbling over and over. A flower petal nearly being shredded. A glass mirror shattered.

Hanabi collapsed on her bed, gasping. More visions. Glaring at the rug in a way akin to anger, she cursed the fact that her Blood had mutated into this at the time of her turning. But the thoughts soon disappeared as a hand lifted her chin up to meet the sickeningly golden eyes of her captor.

"Again, my dear? Tell me what you saw..."

Swallowing hard, Hanabi began to relate the flashes she had seen.


	9. Chapter 8

**(Disclaimer)** I do not own Naruto. Characters and setting copyrighted to Masashi Kishimoto. All rights reserved, etc, etc. The plot and any character unrecognizable from the manga or anime are mine as well. Please do not use anything that falls underneath those categories without my permission.

**(A/N)** _September 17, _2006 - Chapter 8. Things are finally starting to pick up, bet you guys are relieved. I have to say, by the way the first seven chapters went, this story is gonna be at least 20 chapters or so at minimum, probably more, considering all I have planned. And believe me when I say there's a lot...

**NOTICE: A mistake was made in the last chapter concerning the scouting mission to Kinre**. It was right, but then at last minute I changed my mind. However, while I edited the document on my computer, I failed to edit the document that was _already_ uploaded onto the site on the document manager, thus evolving into this.

This is actually the longest chapter so far. It kind of weird that the chapter lengths fluctuate so much, but it can't be helped. I write as it comes, and if it feels right, then I end it. To let you know, there's some Sasuke x Hinata interaction in this chapter if you guys are interested, and Hanabi finally does something other than have visions. Jiraiya is introduced, though if some of you guessed it, he was the drunken alley man in the first chapters. Some light is shed on Kinre, though not much (blame Neji for being secretive). And the rest you'll just have to read. Enjoy.

**Thanks to BlackWindKaze for beta-reading. (n.n)**

* * *

_Lately, it seemed that there was something... _stirring_ in the back of her mind. Uncoiling, like a sea serpent awaking in its cave, slowly unwrapping itself, grazing the light outside but never giving itself away as it did so. Hinata was nearly ready to scream with frustration. It was like opening a much coveted book, only to find that the pages were empty, void of words or images. Oh, it wasn't completely empty. Letters were starting to write themselves, but never in any particular order, and never in a way that made sense. It was watching Monet paint – at about one dab of paint per hour._

_Hinata figured the easiest thing to do would be to just give up and wait until it explained itself, but somehow she couldn't bring herself to do that. Perhaps this was a clue to why Sasuke had wanted her here. Maybe this would help explain the complete wholeness she felt when he was around, the undeniable connection between them that Hinata couldn't explain. It was a wild hope, but a hope nonetheless._

_-_

_The door shut softly, only a puff of wind marking the passage of wood as it closed the space. Sasuke's fist clenched and unclenched as he scowled at the wall. Kinre. Gone._

_'Reports say that there was a woman there with short black hair. She seemed to be commanding the invading forces.'_

_Obsidian eyes narrowed into venomous slits. He knew exactly why that town had been attacked._

_-_

_Flash... a panther fighting a snake. A slug watching sadly. A frog glaring accusingly. A fan on the wind, tumbling over and over. A flower petal nearly being shredded. A glass mirror shattered._

_Hanabi collapsed on her bed, gasping. More visions. Glaring at the rug in a way akin to anger, she cursed the fact that her Blood had mutated into this at the time of her turning._

* * *

**Fallen from Grace  
**_Taiyoukai Lady_

-

_**Chapter 8**_

* * *

"There you are," an exasperated voice cut through her Reverie. "Do you know how much time I spent looking for you? You disappeared off the goddamn face of the earth!"

Her eyes opened slowly, hesitantly. The voice was rough, the affection palpable despite the words. Tsunade smiled softly, "Hello, Jiraiya."

"Hey yourself," he grumbled. Shifting around the bag slung over his shoulder, he took out what looked like a pack of liquid and threw it to her. Catching it, she looked down, noting the words 'Medical Blood'. "Drink it, for God's sake. You look like you died and were brought back to life with only a drop of blood left in you."

Sighing, Tsunade obeyed without complaint. It would be suicide to do otherwise; her body _needed_ this blood—badly. It had been stupid to let it go this far; she hadn't been thinking in such terms. Sooner or later, she would have to face him. She had often left before on impulsive trips that could take anywhere from a few hours to a month, so she knew her mate would not look for her for at least six weeks. A week had already passed. There were five left to think something up; to decide whether to go back at all…

Or whether her next meeting with her mate would be on the battlefield.

"I was contacted by the damn Uchiha brat," the comment was casual, but it got her attention. "Said that if I wanted to be neutral, that was fine with him, but you know what that means; No contact with either side until the entire fucking thing over…said if I went against him, he would treat me no differently than any other common foot soldier." Jiraiya paused. "He said the same for you."

Tsunade's eyes narrowed furiously, "He thinks that _I_ would betray..."

Jiraiya's cold, harsh gaze cut through her. "Would you?" his voice was void of any emotion. "You saw what his plans are. Would you?"

Her mouth snapped shut, her gaze was jerked away.

The silence hung in the air, creating a sorrowful atmosphere. Jiraiya watched as tears began to drop from the woman's closed eyes. He hadn't wanted to put her through this, but it was necessary. A conflict of this size, between two powerful vampires... it would allow no room for neutrality. He himself knew with certainty where he was going, but her situation was much more difficult.

"I don't know," she choked out, her desperation weighing her words down like an anchor, wounding him as his heart ached for his friend. "I don't know."

-

Hinata cocked her head in puzzlement as she searched the hallways and rooms of the gigantic castle-like mansion for everyone else. She knew the place well enough by now that she wouldn't get lost, so she had no worries about treading down corridors which had obviously not been in use for quite a while, if the dust on the carpet was any indication.

By the time she returned to the main courtyard, it was early afternoon and she still had not found any trace of the others. Well, there was still Sasuke's room, but she was rather wary at going _there_.

Still, her curiosity was quickly overcoming her apprehension. Where had everyone _gone_? Hinata didn't notice where her wandering feet had led her until they stopped and she found herself staring at the thick, oak doors that opened up to _his_ room. Swallowing down any last doubts, she knocked loudly.

No response.

Quietly, Hinata pushed the door open and slipped in, closing the door behind her. Seeing no one, she took a few tentative steps forward.

"Generally, people wait for a response before they enter."

The smooth voice crept into her ears, sending a thrill down her spine. Two hands settled themselves on her waist, sliding slowly until they locked onto each other. Light breaths fluttered across the skin of her ear, her back pressed firmly against his chest. Hinata was certain the only thing audible was the wild thumping of her heart.

"I... I didn't think..." as her nervousness grew, a slight stutter came back into her voice. "I didn't think you were... that you were here. I-I'm sorry. I... I'll go now."

At this, the arms grew a little tighter, and Hinata suddenly blushed as she became aware of how intimate this position was. His warm breath flowed into her ears when he spoke, "You're not going anywhere."

"U-uchiha-san..."

"Sasuke," he cut her off. "My name is Sasuke. Just Sasuke. No 'san' or Uchiha. Just Sasuke."

"Sasuke," she corrected herself. "Wh-where is everyone?"

He grunted, "I sent Neji to Kinre to scout something out with Ino, Shikamaru, Naruto, and Temari. Chouji, Sakura, and Tenten are off to buy weapons, ammo, and all that crap."

Her eyes widened as she felt his tongue flick out and lick the tip of her ear. Stunned, her body refused to react as his teeth nipped at the soft flesh.

"Ah... S-sasuke..."

"Mm?"

"We... you sh-shouldn't be do-doing this..."

"Shut up," he whispered, nuzzling her neck. Despite her reservations, Hinata found her self relaxing in his arms, sinking back into his wonderfully muscled chest. Though her skin was still unnaturally hot where he touched, her heartbeat had slowed. Closing her eyes and allowing her self to enjoy the ministrations Sasuke was giving her neck, Hinata barely noticed as one hand slid under her shirt, resting itself just below her breasts.

The entire interaction between them seemed like it was rehearsed. Every motion she made, Hinata had the feeling that it'd been done before, whether it was the shifting to a better position or the small intakes of breath made whenever his fang inadvertently scraped the sensitive skin of her neck and shoulder. Somehow, he turned her around so she faced him, and she instinctively wrapped her arms around his lowered neck, one hand weaving her fingers through his hair. She didn't feel like she was overstepping her bounds, didn't feel like this was the first time. It felt right, like it had been done a million times before; never mind the fact that she barely knew him. Her body wanted this, her soul yearned for it. He was a killer, a murderer, a monster, a stranger, and somehow she knew him better than she knew herself and understood the workings of his mind better than she understood the sunrises and sunsets.

But that was impossible…

Right?

_Hinata giggled as Sasuke wrapped her in his arms again, burying his face in the crook of her neck. He mumbled something against her skin, smiling as she forced him to look at her by gently tugging his hair._

"_Stop it," he said half-heartedly, not really wanting to lose the feel of her palm against the back of his skull._

_She smiled slyly. "Make me," she purred silkily. The tone made his skin burn in anticipation as he gave her a feral grin._

"_Gladly," he whispered, his lips just millimeters away from hers._

The memory slipped into her mind quietly…subconsciously. It wouldn't be until later, when Hinata reviewed the scene, that she would realize several such recollections had been acquired—not just one.

At the moment, she had more pressing matters.

As Sasuke's lips slowly moved up her collar, one hand buried itself in her hair, gently pulling her head back. Hinata complied without complaint, half-glazed eyes staring up at the ceiling. Several times, she had to bite her lip to keep from uttering a soft moan as he licked sensitive spots she never knew she had, yet that he knew like the back of his hand. Kissing her chin one last time, he tilted her head back to face him. Her cheeks had a rosy tint and her creamy white eyes were still slightly glazed. He stared at her for a few moments, once again committing her face to memory, before finally pressing his mouth against hers.

The effect was instantaneous. The hand clutching his hair jerked once, before settling against his skull, pressing him closer. The arm around his neck tightened, and he felt her unconsciously press her body against his. Her mouth parted in surprise, and he wasted no time using that to his advantage.

As he plundered her mouth, thoughts ricocheted across Hinata's mind at an alarming speed. He was the _Kuroi Kurohyou_. A Shadow. A vampire. He had no qualms at killing. He lived off the blood of others. She was human. He could kill her without breaking a sweat. _She shouldn't be doing this_.

So why was she?

By the time they stopped, their breathing was ragged and harsh. Hinata blinked, curious when Sasuke moved so his mouth was position over her shoulder, pushing the cloth away to reveal the pale skin underneath. She suddenly realized what he wanted to do.

"Hinata..."

Swallowing hard, Hinata closed her eyes and nodded.

His fangs pierced her skin easily and smoothly. Hinata was pleasantly surprised to find the pain retreating after a few moments. Barely a minute later, Sasuke stopped, licking the small wound clean. It vanished within seconds.

"Saliva," Sasuke answered Hinata's unspoken question. "It's my saliva. A long time ago, my people used to heal automatically, but sometimes, in times of war, you don't want that, or you want to heal someone else. Half of our natural healing ability was therefore transferred to our saliva. Meaning I could heal any of your wounds by just licking it, and I can choose whether or not my own wounds heal, in case I want to make my opponent think I'm out of action or something.."

"Oh, I see," Hinata murmured. "Um... does this mean I'm going to become a vampire now?"

Sasuke shook his head, "No, that doesn't happen until you willingly drink my blood. This just lets me know where you are in case you get into trouble or something." There was more, such as the fact that now he could sense her more extreme emotions, and that they now had a telepathic bond, but she didn't need to know that.

"Okay." Silently, she rested her head against his shoulder, eyes distant as they replayed what had just happened. In her mind, one thought dominated.

What in the world was between them?

-

"What the hell happened here?"

The shocked question exploded out of Naruto's mouth, and was left hanging in the air. Ino buried her face in Shikamaru's shoulder, trying to rid her mind of the image. Her mate issued a low growl of anger. Neji seemed to be the least affected, his jaws tight, but his face calm.

Temari stared.

The scent of death was still strong, the corpses rotting under the sun. There were crows circling above them, cawing to each other. She watched, horrified, as one swooped down, landing on a body. Its beak shot down quickly, and then it was gone.

She could see the eyeball dangling from its bill.

When Neji had woken her up and told her she was coming with him on a scouting mission, Sasuke's orders, Temari had frowned, got up, and did as she was ordered. Nothing would happen to Hinata as long as Sasuke was around, she was sure of it, and she doubted Sasuke would leave the girl unprotected. Confident that her best friend would be in good hands, she had left for Kinre with Neji and the others.

This was not what she expected.

Temari vaguely remembered visiting Kinre once when she was little. It was during a festival, and the entire town was joyous and exultant; children running everywhere, laughing as they tugged their kites or pets or parents around, visiting all the stalls, chatting animatedly with friends. The entire town was relaxed. If she remembered correctly, they should have been having a festival around this time of year.

The vast meadow was saturated with human blood, the red grass waving in the air in some sort of sick dance. Everywhere she turned; there were more bodies, and more dead. Some arms had been ripped from their owner's socket and used as weapons. Bones stuck up from the ground like grave markers.

"The town..." Temari breathed out.

She bolted. Ignoring the shouts behind her for her to come back, Temari grabbed the fan on the back and swung it. Still running, she jumped on the gigantic fan, riding the wind she'd just made across the ocean of dead. She refused to look down, staring ahead, focusing on the quickly approaching huts and houses. There, she touched down, flat out sprinting through the town's entrance.

She didn't notice when her feet stopped, or when her fan dropped to the ground with a thunk. She didn't notice when Neji suddenly appeared behind her, quickly supporting her as her legs buckled.

It was a massacre.

Random bodies spread out across the dirt road leading through the town, still in their festive kimonos. Temari closed her eyes, but the images still came.

There, to the left, a woman slumped across the body of her son, trying to protect him even in death. Ahead. Two men, still holding sake bottle, seemingly asleep, aside from the gaping hole in their chests where their hearts were supposed to be. There was a teenage couple, still clutched in each others arms even in death. But Temari didn't see those.

"The children," she whispered faintly. Behind her, Neji gazed at the scene solemnly. "They killed the children."

-

Hanabi smiled softly as Kabuto entered the rooms where she was kept, a food tray in one arm, a small box in the other. The older boy smiled gently back, the look in his eyes tender and warm. Hanabi may only have the body of a thirteen-year-old, but she was over a century old – more than old enough to know what love was. If Kabuto had not supported her throughout this entire ordeal, she would've died long ago, wasted away in the room she called a prison.

He had been her caretaker since the very first day she had been turned, washing her wounds, bringing her small toys and puzzles to keep her amused. He always had a smile for her, a special look in his eyes just for her – a far contrast to their master. Orochimaru was never outright cruel, but he had a fanatical gleam in his eyes that Hanabi didn't trust. Not like Kabuto, whose eyes radiated sincerity. It amazed her that such a wonderful person could ever swear his loyalty to such a twisted creep.

Oh, Orochimaru hadn't always been like this. When Hanabi was first turned, the ancient vampire was placid and charming, protective of his underlings and only cruel when necessary. From then, his condition slowly worsened, leading to how he was now. Hanabi didn't know what had caused such a change, and she didn't want to.

"Did he hurt you again?" Kabuto's gentle voice broke through her thoughts.

She smiled tiredly back, "Less than usual. I think I have a bruise on my arm where he gripped a little too hard, but that's all."

His expression was relieved, "That's good. Well then, turn around so I can change the bandage on your leg." Hanabi nodded, obediently turning so he could have better access to her leg. Quickly unraveling the old bandage, he bathed the wound, cleaning it with some more alcohol, before wrapping it up once more with linen. Hanabi said nothing, enjoying his touch.

Settling back, he nodded, "Alright then. That should be fine." He pointed at the tray on the table. "Here's your meal. I managed to get you some fruit. Not much, but I did get an apple and some grapes."

Hanabi's expression lit up. "Oh, thank you!" she exclaimed, grabbing a grape and biting into it. Immediately, the juices burst onto her tongue, creating a rare sensation. Fruit was rare, as most vampires deemed them unnecessary. Hanabi knew that to get even these, Kabuto would've had to retrieve them himself from a human settlement – all without Orochimaru noticing. "Thank you," she whispered once again.

He smiled at her once more before turning and leaving the room, the door quietly closing behind him. Hanabi sighed in bliss as she bit into the perfect apple. Orochimaru may be a creep, but his right hand man was all she could ever ask for.

-

In the hallway outside Hanabi's room, one bespectacled young man smirked. Another session, another time to reinforce the lie he'd woven upon his master's orders.

Kabuto had been skeptical when Orochimaru first ordered him to befriend the white-eyed little girl. After all, what harm could she do that could possibly warrant the need for a good relationship? But Orochimaru was unswerving, a constant smirk on his face as he relayed the order. So, Kabuto had followed them without question, just like he always did.

Still, he felt a small twinge of guilt at making the girl trust him – love him – so completely when he would kill her without a second thought. '_Well,_' he thought, frowning, '_I suppose that's what you get for supporting the villain._' If Orochimaru was the villain, that was. In a way, Kabuto supposed he was, but in another, he could be called the hero too. Ah, well. Not like it mattered.

Hanabi's eyes haunted him a bit, so open and warm with the feeling that he knew he had planted there on purpose. She loved him, and though he had come to view her with amused tolerance, love was an emotion he knew he would never return.

Kabuto shook his head, turning down a corridor to report to his master. A conscience was such an annoying thing.

-

"Who did this?" Temari's tone was sharp, her eyes rock hard, shining with the threat of unshed tears. It was obvious that this was affecting her deeply, but that was no surprise. It even affected him, Neji, a vampire of god knew how many centuries.

He said nothing in answer to her questions. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Naruto and Shikamaru begin to sift through the bodies, looking for any people they knew out in the once peaceful meadow, now transformed into a bloody graveyard. On the sidelines, unable to control her self, Ino sat, breathing deeply, forcing the sobs back into her throat. He respected her need for calm…most people were not like him.

"Who?" her voice was harsh, rough with emotion. She was reaching the breaking point.

"Our enemies," Neji said simply. There would be a time to reveal all, but now was not it. "It was well-known that Kinre had strong connections to us, or at least, to Sasuke. The attack was simply meant as a warning and declaration of war."

"A war," Temari spat, disgusted. "An entire village of people, of humans, of _lives_, was killed as a declaration of _war_? They're not even of your kind! What kind of monsters are you?"

Abruptly, she stiffened, narrowed eyes locking with his. There was a sudden change in his demeanor, his white eyes narrowing with an icy coldness that chilled her. "You should remember," he said, "that these people were not our people. Even the vampire species have factions within them, Temari-san. We are one faction. The people who attacked this place were another. It is basic human nature to conquer and destroy. Whether or not we are human now, it would be wise to remember that we were once of your kind." He paused, turned to walk away. "Besides. What is this, compared to the countless wars you humans have raged against each other?"

Temari glared at him, unable to deny his words. "At least tell me this," she finally worked out of her throat, "just because Kinre had strong connections to Sasuke doesn't say much. Several towns can claim they have connections to a strong vampire. So why here? Why Kinre?"

At first, she thought he would refuse to answer, the way his eyes flashed with a clear warning. However, after a few moments, he nodded almost imperceptibly, and began to speak. "Do you know what Kinre means in the Old Tongue?"

Temari's brow furrowed. Old Tongue? What was he talking about?

"It means 'the white one'," Neji said. "It is a reference to a clan that used to live on these plains. The clansmen all had white hair, white skin." He paused. "White eyes." Temari's eyes widened. "However, over time, other people settled here, and eventually, the bloodline was so tainted with outside bloodlines that there was no possibly of it ever becoming pure again. Finally, the clan withdrew from the outside world, the only thing left of it's bloodline being pearly white eyes.

"Before this happened, however, one of the clan heads had fallen in love with a strange woman who claimed she had the power of Seeing. Despite the clan's protests, he married her, inevitably mixing their bloodlines. This created what is now known as the Byakugan." Temari's thoughts flashed back to Hinata, recalled how the girl had once wistfully wished she had inherited the bloodline trait of her clan.

"However," he continued, "within human blood, this... trait is extremely unstable, effectively killing the vessel slowly through an illness that could last for over five decades."

"_Temari, Tenten..." a young Hinata stood, her eyes sad as she looked up at the sky. "Do you think Mother will ever get better?"_

"But you can use it," Temari half asked, half stated, guessing correctly that he was also apart of this bloodline, most probably from ages past. It was infuriating. She remembered most of what had happened to her in past lives with Hinata, but much of the more specific information, such as this, had been lost to time. Relearning it was an annoying process that she wanted over and done with.

Neji nodded affirmatively. "Yes, because the vampire traits now within my blood somehow balances my bloodline well enough that I can. It became my Blood at the moment of my turning. Because my skills mainly developed around fighting, it helped me with it. I cannot, however, heal with my techniques, as I heard my ancestors once could before they died."

"So what does this have to do with the attack?" Temari asked, slowly clicking the puzzle pieces together.

"I told you, it was a warning and declaration of war. However, it also informs us that they know we have your friend."

Temari frowned. Something wasn't right. It was more than just some declaration of war. Or something about Hinata or a message. The place had been attacked for a bigger reason. She could feel it. But Temari kept that to herself, instead asking, "Why would they want us to know that they know we have Hinata?"

The calm look Neji gave her was enough for her to understand.

Stand there, Temari could feel her legs start to weaken again.

"Oh, god."


	10. Chapter 9

**(Disclaimer)** I do not own Naruto. Characters and setting copyrighted to Masashi Kishimoto. All rights reserved, etc, etc. The plot and any character unrecognizable from the manga or anime are mine as well. Please do not use anything that falls underneath those categories without my permission.

**(A/N)** Okay, first off, I apologize to all of you for being away for so long. Even when I tried to get back into FFG, it wouldn't let me. And it was only until now that I was able to really bring out the creative juices. Even so, I'm not entirely satisfied with this chapter, but you've all waited long enough, and here I am. :3 Hopefully, this next break won't be as long, though there is no guarantee. I have a hectic life right now.

So, read and review, my darlings. :3 This one's for all those who waited.

**Note: I'm looking for a beta reader**. Preferably one who will correct such things as awkward wording, sentence structure, plot things that don't work… etc, etc. In other words, some one who will go beyond just editing grammatical mistakes. _I wanted multiple betas_. So please, e-mail me at taiyoukailady AT gmail DOT com or IM me over AIM at TaiyoukaiLady.

* * *

"_Oh, I see," Hinata murmured. "Um... does this mean I'm going to become a vampire now?"_

_Sasuke shook his head, "No, that doesn't happen until you willingly drink my blood. This just lets me know where you are in case you get into trouble or something." There was more, such as the fact that now he could sense her more extreme emotions, and that they now had a telepathic bond, but she didn't need to know that._

"_Okay." Silently, she rested her head against his shoulder, eyes distant as they replayed what had just happened. In her mind, one thought dominated._

_What in the world was between them?_

_-_

_He smiled at her once more before turning and leaving the room, the door quietly closing behind him. Hanabi sighed in bliss as she bit into the perfect apple. Orochimaru may be a creep, but his right hand man was all she could ever ask for._

_-_

_Temari frowned. Something wasn't right. It was more than just some declaration of war. Or something about Hinata or a message. The place had been attacked for a bigger reason. She could feel it. But Temari kept that to herself, instead asking, "Why would they want us to know that they know we have Hinata?"_

_The calm look Neji gave her was enough for her to understand._

_Stand there, Temari could feel her legs start to weaken again._

"_Oh, god."_

* * *

**Fallen from Grace  
**_Taiyoukai Lady_

-

_**Chapter 9**_

* * *

"Chouji! Throw those chips away!" Sakura hissed in irritation. The boy merely glanced at her before going back to munching on his beloved chips. Tenten rolled his eyes at the interaction, but didn't enforce Sakura's command. It's not like they were on some sort of special mission trip that required complete silence. If that were the case, Tenten would've killed Chouji by now herself. Those noises did get irritating…

Still, Tenten had a bit of pleasure from watching Sakura get riled up over these little things that didn't matter anyways. The weapons mistress wasn't overly fond of the pink-haired medic. Tenten recognized Sakura's skills and acknowledged the other female's prowess, but that didn't mean she _liked_ her. In her mind, Sakura was a bit too clingy, a little too dependent, for her to be good friends with.

For now though, she'd deal with it.

Earlier that day, Tenten had been approached by Chouji and Sakura. The two had told her that they were to go buy supplies according the list Sasuke had given Sakura. Tenten, assuming that Hinata would be perfectly fine and not knowing Temari would be gone as well, had gone along without much hesitation.

She hadn't known that buying supplies would be this difficult.

Sakura insisted on the best brand of everything there was, and Tenten was appalled at such random spending. But Chouji, who was much smarter than he seemed, had explained to Tenten that this too was mainly on Sasuke's orders, not just Sakura being Sakura.

"You see," he had explained, speech dotted with crunches of chips, "we're a group of the more powerful of our kind. All of us are bonded or have hit the level at which we no longer need to fear the need to feed. We've got so many spies set to watch us, and in such a world, hiding transactions for simple supplies is just a waste of energy and time better spent hiding transaction for _other_ things. But you see, since we're not hiding it, we're using it to send a message to our enemies."

It'd hit her suddenly, and she couldn't help but admire the thoughtfulness and subtly of such a message. By only buying the best of everything and not seeming not to care for the price (Sakura hadn't bothered haggling all that much), they were showing any spies that they had plenty of money and resources in stock. To not bother hiding it would mean that they were confident enough in their abilities to not even bother with trickery.

It was deep message, almost non-existent, but it was still there. Tenten had blinked a bit dazedly, wondering if she would ever be able to follow all the swirls in the worlds of shadows and more shadows. One would have to be a genius to follow every single little thing, to figure out every single little message that might or might not be there. Calculation, probabilities, information, spy networks… Tenten found her respect for Sasuke and the Shadows under his command growing steadily as she learned more and more about them.

-

By the time Hinata got back to her room, she was trembling. Several parts of her skin still tingled with that delightful feeling that his oh so gentle touch had brought. Sasuke had suddenly paused, frowning as he told her stay where she was. That said, he'd suddenly disappeared and Hinata had been left with nothing other than her own pounding heart and burning skin.

She'd run.

Plopping herself down on her bed, Hinata stared up at the ceiling, sprawled over the comfortable surface. It was amazing, really, the kind of response he managed to coax out of her body. Again, Hinata was suddenly reminded of a memory that she was sure wasn't her own. A memory of a time with so much more heat… and much more intimate.

Reviewing the memory, Hinata promptly turned red, aghast that she even had this image in her head, never mind where she got it from. Still, it was so vivid… the caresses, the whispers, the moan and gasps… She felt her body tense and heat in a way she hadn't thought possible.

More and more memories began to push themselves forward, and Hinata scrambled to keep them all in order. One here, two there. They were all mixed up, and they were definitely not all hers. But who else could that girl be, other than her?

Suddenly, there was a knock on her door. Hinata tensed, but relaxed when she realized the chakra signature was not Sasuke's.

"Come in," she called out. "The door's unlocked." She didn't know why she had left it like that, but she hadn't really _wanted_ to lock it. Part of her still ached for his touch, and she didn't know what to do with that part except lock it away deep inside of her. And leave the door unlocked so it would be easier for him to get in… though that wasn't the reason, of course.

The door swung open, and in staggered her two very best friends, with very, very hostile looks on their face.

They'd found out.

"Oh dear," Hinata mumbled.

-

It turned out she didn't have anything to worry about. In regards to her little Sasuke problem, at least. However, Temari was in a fine mood, and Tenten wasn't much better.

"That_bastard_," Temari spat out with clear disdain. "How the fuck can he be so callous about the entire thing? I can't believe him! The entire species is completely messed up!"

Tenten nodded in agreement, "I can't believe that that even happened at all!"

Hinata stood off to the side, completely confused. "Wha...what?"

Two furious pairs of eyes suddenly shot in her direction. Hinata involuntarily took a step back, her hand coming up in a defensive position, eyes wide, expression unsure and hesitant.

Temari's mouth twisted into a wry grin, "No need to do that, Hinata. We're pissed at the damn Uchiha, not you."

"O-oh," Hinata stammered out. "What for...?"

The two exchanged a look. Tenten gave a little sigh, before launching into a quiet, sober explanation, "Remember that village we went to a long, long time back, Hinata? It was during a festival. Me, you, Temari... back when your family were still... y'know. Kinre. Children running in the streets, laughing. Us, going from stall to stall, running around and around. That other little girl with white eyes and that sad smile that we made a mission to turn into a sincere grin..." Tenten's voice trailed off, soft, wistful. She bit her lip, staring at the wall.

"That village is gone," Temari supplied, voice low with controlled fury. "That village has been murder and hacked up and completely slaughtered. That village has seen the blood of all its inhabitants spilt by these _Shadows_." Temari looked up, glaring at her own spot on the wall. Her expression was tight and hard as stone. "They killed them all. The old, the young, male, female, couples, pregnant women... they killed the children, Hinata. _They butchered the goddamn children_."

Hinata was gone.

-

Sasuke wasn't surprised to see Hinata gone when he returned. It was Hinata, after all, and she was confused and thus he respected her need to be away from people - specifically, him. He didn't like it, but hey, he didn't really have much of a choice, now did he?

And thus, he _was_ rather surprised when he turned around to confront whomever had once again burst into his room - and found her.

"Hinata," he said carefully. Her eyes were a bit narrowed, confusion shining through. The door closed behind her.

"What," she said, voice with an unnatural edge, "is this I hear about Kinre?"

'_Ah. So she heard about that. No wonder…_' "Kinre was massacred," Sasuke told her bluntly. "It was destroyed. It's people were murdered in cold blood. Every last one of them."

"Did you know about the attack?"

Silence.

"You did."

"Yes."

"You_bastard_."

"What would you have me do?" Sasuke snapped back, an icy fire in his eyes. "I had no idea it would be this severe. I had no _idea_ the attack would cause damage to this scale."

Silence.

"Is that not enough for you, Hinata?"

Narrowed eyes. Lifted chin. Pale porcelain face. She couldn't believe she had let this… this _Shadow_ touch her.

"No."

She left again.

-

"Did you have fun with that, Anko?"

The woman turned, grinning at the sight of silver-haired Kabuto. "But of course," she purred, "I always do." They were in her quarters, back at the base. She was at the door of her bathroom, only a towel wrapped around her, just having finished a shower. She could still hear the wonderful shrieks from the people she had killed, the melodious sobs and pleads of mercy. She knew what Kabuto had come for, and could not think of a better follow-up.

He walked towards her, where she leaned against the doorframe, grinning wickedly. Her towel had begun to slip but she made no effort to catch it. As he stopped, a mere breath away, the cloth fell to the ground. Her arms lifted, and she pressed her body to him as she pulled his head down to hers. She bit his bottom lip, then pulled away, knowing how alluring her nude figure looked to him.

"Take off those cloths, Kabuto."

"Gladly."

In the back of his mind, there was a vague stirring as Hanabi's name passed like a smoke in the wind, scattered to pieces. He didn't even notice, as he and his lover slipped into the primal ritual solace they found in each other.

-

Life was confusing. Kakashi thought he'd understood thing. Apparently not.

He glared at the wall form his position sprawled over the bed in an seated position against the headboard. Itachi had gone out again. He was vaguely annoyed. The time he'd been able to spend with the other had slowly diminished. Kakashi had a wound, and thus, Itachi was just plain faster at whatever tasks Sasuke threw their way, or they decided to take on themselves. It was mainly information gathering, and while he knew Itachi would be fine without him, Kakashi didn't like being away from him for so much time. It irked him.

"I'm back," the soft words said, just a trace of exhaustion upon them. Itachi tossed a scroll nonchalantly on the table, taking off his cloak.

Kakashi's eye flickered to the scroll. "What did you find?"

"I assume you already know Kinre's gone? And I assume you've already connected this to that incident several years back?"

"Of course."

"Well, that's most of it right there. The rest is simply that, there are noticeable forces gathering in small, but strong groups to our north. Jiraiya and Tsunade's whereabouts are currently unknown, as are that man's. The attack on Kinre was clarified to have been led by Anko, and you know what that means."

A sigh. Kakashi nodded. "Well, if that's it, come here."

For once, Itachi didn't argue, and he sank into the silver-haired man's arms. Exhaustion touched him more than physically apparent, and he was soon asleep. Kakashi sat there, playing with the black hair.

Kakashi changed his mind. He understood life.

He didn't understand Sasuke.

-

No one did.

God knew Hinata didn't, at least.

She was in her room, lying on her bed. She managed to get all the information she could out of Temari and Tenten, then gone to Neji in the training grounds, Ino and Chouji in the kitchens, Naruto and Sakura in the supplies room… none of them had given her enough to satisfy her, although she was slowly piecing together pieces of the whole. The situation was suddenly looking so much more complicated than she had once thought, and she was only looking at it from the outside!

Kinre was gone. Attacked by Anko, who was apparently the daughter of two very powerful Shadows. This was to send a message, although Temari hadn't given up the information as to what the 'message' was, saying that Neji ( and thus, Sasuke ) had told her to be quiet about it. There were forces against Sasuke gathering in the north. Two Shadows who could apparently be very useful allies could not be found.

It wasn't _enough_.

Only Sasuke knew it all, Hinata knew, but she refused to go back to him. He had known! And he could've prevented it! Even just Temari and Neji and Naruto would've been enough to make _some_ kind of difference! They could've saved people! The village wouldn't have been so utterly and completely demolished.

It was disgusting. They had been attacked by Shadows. Hinata understood that they were of a different group, but still! Sasuke could've done something, _should_ have done something.

But…

Hinata had never heard of a Shadow raid that had caused such severe consequences. There were stories of fires, and murders, but never to this scale. A raid took the weak, but never children. A raid left raped young people bled dry, not a massacre. This… raid, was wrong. It was different.

"_They wanted to send a message," Temari explained, eyes dull and distant as she revisited the graveyard that had once been Kinre. "A message to Sasuke._"

What was so special about Kinre?

"_I remember the old tales of Kinre. They used to have a powerful clan there, but they dwindled," Hinata's mother sighed. "I used to live there, Hinata-chan. But I fled, because I felt it was dangerous. And now, I think I'm the only one left."_

A clan…

"_A clan with white eyes, and white skin. White hair, and white everything else. Then their bloodline got diluted."_

Where had that come from? Hinata didn't know. But here eyes narrowed, turning this information around in her mind.

If their blood had been diluted, then would the pure white features disappear slowly over time? What if nothing had been left, but white eyes?

This was what Temari wouldn't tell her, Hinata was certain of it. She had white eyes. Was this a message to tell Sasuke they knew he'd found her? Why was she so important? No, it couldn't be that.

"_Sister! Brush my hair for me, please? Mother's sick and she can't do it."_

Hanabi.

Hinata remembered the tales now. Of how a women who could See married into the clan and had children. Hanabi had always had a knack for knowing what would happen if they didn't something. But Hinata thought Hanabi had been murdered in the raid on her house ages past. As far as she had known, only her, Temari, and Tenten, had survived.

"_A Shadow's Gift is really just a more powerful, magically amplified form of something the vampire already has within him or herself," Ino told her. "So, a killer wouldn't be given healing powers, neh?"_

Hanabi knew what would happen if something happen. If she had been captured instead of killed, Changed, would her Gift have manifested itself as the ability to See? Whoever had Hanabi might possibly See through her.

"_Kinre was a message. A message to Sasuke."_

No. That was wrong, Hinata realized with chilling clarity. Kinre wasn't a message. It was an example. This is what will happen to you, the example said. This is what will happen if you defy us. You know it. We See it.

Hinata's eyes closed despairingly. Who were they up against?

Sasuke would know.

Her eyes opened again as guilt began to set in. Sasuke hadn't known, she realized now. Well he had, but he hadn't known that the raid was to be made into an example. He'd probably gotten information of a normal raid, and that wouldn't have dire consequences. He hadn't known it would be a bloodbath. She'd been too hard on him.

Hinata slipped off her bed, and padded to the door.

He would be waiting for her.

-

Jiraiya sat outside the cave entrance. Tsunade was inside, deep in Reverie. She needed the rest, and the meditation, away from outside influences. She needed the distance to decide what she would be doing. So Jiraiya did what he could to help, and guarded her as she slept as only vampires could. She needed to be away from everyone, especially -

"You fucking bastard."


End file.
